To Walk In My Shoes
by Glow60
Summary: This story is sort of a little twist to "It's a Wonderful Life". Sorry, I know we are heading into July but this was the only way I could make this story work for me. Something is bothering Gibbs and he takes his anger out on his SFA. Someone special steps in and makes Gibbs walk in Tony's shoes for a while so he can see what made his SFA the man he is today.
1. Chapter 1

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_Summary: Christmas was only a couple of days away and things are not going well for the NCIS's __major case response team. All the weathermen were predicting a possibility of one foot of snow falling in the DC area. Something is bothering Gibbs and whatever it is could cause him to explode so his team is walking on pins and needles. This year, Abby and her brother Kyle are heading to New Orleans to spend Christmas with her adoptive family. __She still has some very important test to run but her replacement has not showed up yet. She asked Tony if he could help her finish the tests. He has helped her in the past and she knew he could do it in his sleep. Something goes wrong with one of the tests and Gibbs goes ballistic. Tony tries to explain what might have happen but Gibbs won't listen instead he belittles and degrades Tony in front of the whole office. Someone special steps in and tries to help Gibbs understand something about his SFA and his relationship with his own dad. In other words as Gibbs would say, "It's going to be a weird one."_

**CHAPTER 1**

Gibbs looked down at his watch and finally realized he had been sitting in the coffee shop for the past hour. He wondered where the time had gone. He was still very angry with DiNozzo and he wasn't sure if he wanted to see his SFA's face anymore for the rest of the day. He decided he would just call Ziva and have her pick him up. They could go and reinterview several witnesses on an active case they were working on. He went to reach for his cellphone.

Gibbs had been so lost in thought that he didn't notice someone walking toward him. It caught him by surprise when he heard a voice from behind him, "Jethro…you know you were wrong for chewing Anthony out in front of everyone?"

"He had it coming to him."

"Maybe…but did you have to do it in front of everyone?"

Gibbs looked up at the older man for a few seconds and then turned his attention back to the nearly empty coffee cup. He knew there was only one reason Ducky would be here and that was because the gossip must have spread through the whole building by now. He really didn't care because he believed he was justified for doing it.

Since Gibbs didn't answer him back, Ducky decided to invite himself to sit down.

Gibbs stared at the older man for a few seconds longer before he decided to ask, "Doctor Mallard…since when does DiNozzo work for you? He is my concern…not yours."

The Scotsman knew this conversation was not going to be an easy one, "Jethro…both Anthony and you are my dearest friends. I…"

Gibbs cut the ME off before he could say another word. "Doctor Mallard enough…I just told you that my team is not any of your concern. What happened earlier is between my subordinate and myself. I have had enough of DiNozzo's shenanigans and insecurities. If he doesn't get his act together he is off my team for good."

"Jethro…you will do not such thing!"

Gibbs took another sip of his coffee and grinned just a little. "It's none of your business."

"Jethro…what is going on with you? I do not understand why you…"

Gibbs cut the older man off, "That's the point…Doctor Mallard you don't understand. DiNozzo is on my team and not yours. So…this has nothing to do with you. I am tired of DiNozzo acting like an idiot. If he doesn't change he is off my team…for good."

"Jethro…you knew Anthony was like this from the beginning. It's part of his charm. You told me when you first hired him that he was a good cop with a lot of potentials. You believe he had the makings to be a good agent. It is the reason you hired him."

"Yes…I know and I am now regretting it. Maybe…I should have left him back in Baltimore because all he is good for is chasing down crooks and arresting them."

"Jethro, I can still remember right after you hired him you bragged to me how you stole him from the Baltimore Police Department."

"Yah I did but now I am regretting every minute of it. I think it is time I get him off my team before he messes up something else."

"Jethro…you can't. Anthony thinks the world of you. You two have worked together for over ten years. Anthony may act immature at times but there is nobody you can trust more with having your six. He would gladly give his life for you."

Gibbs rubbed his forehead, "You don't think I know that…Doctor? Why does he have to act so childish and immature?"

"Jethro…you and I both know Anthony didn't have the best upbringing. His father..."

Gibbs cut the older man off…again. "How many times is DiNozzo going to use that lame excuse for the reason he acts the way he does? He's not the only one who has had a bad childhood. For god sakes look at McGee and Ziva…if anyone should have emotional issues it should be those two. McGee's old man verbally abused him and my god…Ziva's left her to die in a desert."

Ducky sat there for a few seconds. Trying to think of the right words to say to his friend. "Jethro…you and I both know Ziva and Timothy's childhoods were much different from Anthony's. They at least had good strong mothers to help guide them while they were growing up. Did you not forget that Anthony's mother died when he was just eight years old?"

"Big deal…my mom also died when I was a boy and I had issues with my father but I still managed to grow up. Do you see me going around acting like a kid?"

"No…but you were at least fourteen when you lost your dear mother. You may have had issues with your father back then but some of those issues were your own doing. I find your father to be a very charming and caring man."

Gibbs just stared at him and shaking his head.

Ducky moved a little closer and put his hand on his friends' arm, "Jethro please listen to me…I know the two of you may have your differences but at least he was there to help and guide you through those adolescence years when you needed him the most. Anthony never had that experience. The boy was either shuffled from family members to boarding schools or summer camps. Anthony's father was too busy to spend anytime with his son because he was always busy gallivanting off to god knows where."

Gibbs didn't say a word but just continued to stare at his friend.

"Jethro…will you please tell me what is going on in that stubborn head of yours? I can tell there is something else that is bothering you. What is it and why are you taking it out on Anthony?"

Gibbs stood up. "Doctor Mallard…we are finished with this conversation." Gibbs turned and headed out of the coffee shop.

Ducky just sat there for a few seconds. He was wondering what was going on with his friend. He could sense something else was bothering him. He also wondered what it was going to take to fix the problem between his two dear friends. Especially since one of them was so damn stubborn.

_**It was the night before Christmas and all through the house… **_

Outside the snow continued to fall softly on the ground. For the last hour Gibbs just sat in his basement staring into empty space. Everything seemed to be going wrong for him. He wanted this year to be special so he had invited his team to share a Christmas dinner with him and his dad. Abby had declined his invitation because she was going home to New Orleans for the holidays. She wanted to introduce her biological brother Kyle to her adoptive family. She was all excited about her two brothers meeting for the first time. Gibbs was happy for her but he was going to miss her at the dinner. A few days later his father calls him and give him some lame ass excuse to why he can't come. The father and son got into a heated argument over the phone and Jackson ended up hanging up him. Gibbs had not spoken to his father since and it bothered him dearly. He was afraid he was going to be losing his father again. It took them years to reconcile their differences.

These past few weeks at work had been hell. Gibbs and his team had been working long hours on a highly profiled case. Both SecNav and Vance were on his back to get it taken care of and DiNozzo had to go and mess up a test that could have proven who did it. Now they were going to have to start all over again.

Gibbs was tired and at a loss as to what to do next. He decided it might be better to take a break for a little while. Relax his mind and come up with some new ideas. Gibbs looked down at his watch and realized he needed to get off his ass and head to the grocery store before it closes. There was still a few things he had to get before tomorrow's Christmas dinner. Earlier he had thought about cancelling the dinner but he decided against it. He was not going to let his father stubbornness or DiNozzo's stupidity ruin his holiday.

As he turned to head toward the stairs he was surprised to see Ducky standing at the bottom of them. Gibbs didn't smile because he already knew why his friend was here. "Doctor Mallard…I…must be losing my hearing? How did you get down the stair without me hearing you?"

The older man didn't say anything but just continued to stare.

Gibbs was getting a little uncomfortable. He didn't like it when his old friend pulled one of his own intimidation tricks on him. The old Scotsman was small in stature but he could stare down people with the best of them. "Duck…Doctor Mallard…have you come to tell me you not going to be at tomorrow's dinner?"

The Scotsman moved a little closer before he began to speak, "I came to try and help repair things between Anthony and you."

Gibbs didn't smile, "You're wasting your time, I have already told you this conversation was over at the coffee shop."

"Anthony…"

"Doctor Mallard…I am so tired of talking about that immature idiot and if that is the only reason you come here…then you might as well turn around and walk right back up those stairs because I am through talking about that idiot. Now if you will excuse me…I have a few things I need to buy for tomorrow's Christmas dinner."

The Scotsman stood his ground and would not move. Gibbs stared at him for a few seconds before deciding to walk around him and headed up the stairs.

"Rumor has it Vance and SecNav were angry about some misinformation Anthony gave you. Is that true?"

Gibbs stopped in mid step and turned, "That idiot almost caused an innocent man to go to prison. We were lucky this time and caught the mistake before we made an ass out of ourselves."

The older man moved a little closer, "This is not the first time you or someone on your team have made a mistake."

Gibbs took one step back down the stairs and held onto the rail, "When I asked DiNozzo about it he tried to deny it."

"Jethro…I have known Anthony to stretch the truth a little ever now and then but I have never known him not to take responsible for his own actions."

"DiNozzo was the only one who ran those tests and one of them was wrong. He tried to deny it in front of me. I will not have someone on my team lie to me like he did."

"If he did lie did you have to reprimand him in front of everyone?"

"It's his own fault. It time he needs to grow up and accepts responsibility for his action. I…I am now wondering why I even bothered to hire him in the first place. Morrow thought I was crazy when he met him for the first time. Maybe Vance was right all along? He once told me that agents should be more like McGee and not like DiNozzo?"

"My friend, please tell me you don't really believe that? You and I both know Anthony DiNozzo Jr. is a very competent agent."

"Ducky…I am telling you this…if DiNozzo doesn't get his act together and quick…I am going to give his SFA position to McGee and transfer that idiot off my team."

"Jethro…you can't do that. Do you realize what that would do to him and even you?"

"I don't care. I am tired and I have a lot to do before tomorrow's dinner. If you plan to stay down in my basement for a while, please make sure you turn out the light when you leave."

Mallard watched as Gibbs walked up the stairs and leave. The Scotsman knew it was time to call an old friend of his to help him straighten out this mess.

_**DiNozzo's apartment…**_

Tony had been sitting in his living room ever since he got home; he was trying to figure how something he did could go so wrong. He didn't believe he made a mistake. He had helped Abby so many times with that one test that he knew he could do it blindfolded. He tried to talk with Gibbs about it but the older man wouldn't listen to him, instead Gibbs chewed his ass out in front of anyone. What made it even worst was Gibbs had ordered him to work on cold cases the rest of the day while Ziva and McGee when to interview several witnesses. Tony knew he was now being punished.

Earlier, Tony tried to call Abby. The Goth must have her Iphone turned off because she was not answering it. Tony knew if Abby were here she would be able to figure out what had gone wrong with the test and she also might be able to get Gibbs in a better mood. He so wished she was here.

Tony smiled as he remembered the last time he saw her. He had gone down to Abby's lab so he could wish her a Merry Christmas before she left. He knew she was all excited about going home to New Orleans to see her family. She had been talking about it for weeks. She couldn't wait to introduce her newly found brother Kyle to her adopted family. She knew her two brothers were going to get along because she just knew it.

"_TONY! Thank God you are here. I need this really BIG…BIG…BIG...favor from you."_

_Tony grinned as he suspiciously looked around the room before he asked, "Okay what's the favor?"_

"_You…see…I am supposed to pick up my brother Kyle in about an hour so we can catch an early flight out of Ronald Reagan. All the weather stations are reporting the airports maybe…closing down in a couple of hours because of the snow. I…I need to leave right now or I won't be able to go home for Christmas. Tony…it's been such a long time since I've seen my family…well I mean my adopted family. I would really like to see them and I promised my biological brother Kyle he could meet my adopted brother Luca. It sounds funny doesn't it? My brothers meeting for…_

_Tony grinned because he knew the Goth was getting off the subject, "Abby?"_

_She grinned back at him and started talking even faster, "Oh…right…sorry…Tony…my replacement hasn't come yet and he won't be here for another couple of hours. The snow is coming down hard and the airports are talking about closing. Wait airports don't talk."_

"_Abs!"_

"_Right…I need to get back on the subject. Tony…if Kyle and I don't catch our flight we might not get to go home for Christmas and I was really…really…really looking forward to it. I still have these tests to run and Director Vance and Gibbs are expecting them within the next hour. I know you know how to run these tests because you have helped me so many times in the past with them. To make a long story short…Tony...can you pretty please run these tests for me? I would be so…so indebted to you."_

_Tony looked at what needed to be done. He knew he could handle it. He smiled, "Okay Abs…I'll do it…please tell your brother…I mean brothers that I said hi and wish them a Merry Christmas for me. Now go, I will see you when you get back."_

_Abby handed Tony a piece of paper with all the information on it. She kissed Tony on the cheek, thanked him and wished him a happy holiday. Grabbed her things and ran out the door. At the time Tony didn't know that Abby had accidently transposed two numbers. Within an hour Tony had the test completed and heading toward the elevator. The next day, Tony was getting his ass chewed out by Gibbs in front of everyone in the office._

Tony looked at his watch; McGee and Ziva were supposed to be coming by in an hour. He needed to buy a few things at the store. He grabbed his coat and gloves. He took one last look at the window and the snow was still falling pretty heavy. He hopes the stores were still going to be open by the time he gets there.

Tony knew tomorrow his two friends would be going over to Gibbs' house for a nice Christmas dinner. He had been invited but decided not to go. It would be very awkward if he did and he didn't want to ruin it for the rest. Tony smiled to himself; at least tomorrow he won't be alone. He will be sharing his Christmas with a bottle of scotch, a TV dinner and two great old Christmas movies…

_**Gibbs' house…**_

It was just a few hours before Christmas; Gibbs decided it was time for him to get some much-needed sleep. His guests were coming tomorrow and he was going to have to get up early to put the turkey in the oven. He headed upstairs and decided to take a shower before he went to bed. Hoping it would relax him enough to get some sleep. When he was finished he put on his old marine t-shirt and shorts and headed to bed. It wasn't long before he was in a deep sleep.

The clock on the nightstand stopped at midnight. At that same moment everything else seemed to stop and that included the snow. It was like it was stuck in midair. Gibbs was in such a deep sleep he was not aware someone was now standing in his room watching him as he slept.

The intruder moved closer to the bed. He bent down and whispered into the sleeping man's ear. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs…I know you are a very good and caring man…I also know right now you have a lot on your mind. You are angry and worried about your father but what you did to Anthony was wrong. He did not deserve your wrath or the cruel things you said to him. Since you refused admit you were wrong and fix the damage you have caused to your friendship, I am going to have to step in and help you see the error of your ways. You are going to walk in Anthony's shoes for a little while. This way you can understand what makes him the person he is and just maybe learn something about yourself and your father."

It was at that moment Gibbs made a noise and turned onto his side but he didn't wake up.

The man smiled, "Sleep tight my friend because you are going to need it. When you wake up in the morning you will be in the body of a very young Anthony. You will remember whom you are but you will not be allowed to tell anyone. You will eventually remember this conversation. Leroy Jethro Gibbs until you learn your lesson you will be walking in Anthony DiNozzo Jr.'s shoes. Maybe it will help you to learn more about yourself and your father?"

Within seconds that intruder vanished and everything started to move again…

_**Christmas Morning or is it…**_

Gibbs didn't wake up until the light from the morning sun started to bother his eyes. He looked at the old alarm clock. The small hand was already on the eight. He swore to himself when he realized that he had overslept. He needed to get that damn turkey stuffed and into the oven now or it wouldn't be ready for the Christmas dinner this afternoon. As he headed down the stairs he was not aware of the changes that had taken place while he was asleep.

When Gibbs entered the kitchen, he stopped dead in his tracks. There bent over the stove was a tall strange blond haired woman. She was humming "Jingle Bells" to herself, while placing a big roasting pan into the oven. She closed the oven door and adjusted the temperature. She turned and smiled when she saw him, "Merry Christmas Anthony…I was just getting ready to go upstairs and wake you up. You need to hurry and get dressed so we can catch the ten o'clock Mass. I promise you when we get back home you can open all your presents."

What Gibbs really wanted to say was, _'Listen lady…my name is Gibbs and who the hell are you?'_ but what came out of his mouth instead was, "Mommy…can I please open my presents now? I promise I will hurry up and we won't be late for mass."

The woman studied the boy for a few seconds before she started laughing out loud, "Anthony…DiNozzo…Jr.…you are definitely your father's son. You have his charm and good looks but remember I have been immune to both of you."

The woman stopped laughing and bent down so she could be more eye level with the boy, "Anthony…I have some bad news…your daddy called last night after you went to bed. He told me to tell you how sorry he is but he won't be able to make it home today. His flight was cancelled because of the bad weather in Germany. He did tell me to tell you when he gets back he will have a special present for you. Now…you better go get dressed or you will have to explain to Father Martin why you are still in your pajamas."

Gibbs looked down at himself and was shocked to see he was dressed in blue pajamas with little trains all over them. He also noticed his feet were very small. He looked at the woman and she was smiling at him. "Anthony I don't want to have to say it again. Now go up stairs and get dressed…shoo."

Gibbs slowly walked out of the kitchen. He was trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Who was the woman and why did she keep calling him Anthony? As he stood in the hallway and looked around he finally noticed this was not his house. Gibbs was now even more confused. He wasn't exactly sure what to do next so he headed up the stairs. About halfway up, he noticed a mirror on the wall. He stopped and looked into it. He was surprise to see a very blond haired young boy staring back at him. The boy looked very familiar. Gibbs turned to see if the boy was standing next to him but he didn't see anyone. He turned back and looked into the mirror and slowly waved his hand. The boy mirrored what he did. He stuck out his tongue and the boy mirrored him again. It was at that moment he realized he and the boy were one and the same. He then remembered someone saying, _"Sleep tight my friend because you are going to need it. When you wake up in the morning you will be in the body of a very young Anthony. You will remember whom you are but you will not be allowed to tell anyone. You will eventually remember this conversation. Leroy Jethro Gibbs until you learn your lesson you will be walking in Anthony DiNozzo Jr.'s shoes. Maybe it will help you to learn more about yourself and your father?"_

Gibbs muttered to himself, "This has got to be some kind of stupid freaking nightmare." He stood there for a few seconds trying to figure out what to do next. He decided to continue up the stairs. It wasn't long before he found a room he knew could only belong to a young Tony DiNozzo boy. The room was filled with all kinds of toys; GI Joe dolls, an erector set, boxing robots, racing tracks, train set and all kinds of model planes and cars. It also had a TV with a video player. There was a record player not too far from it. There was also a bookcase full of books and a couple of movie tapes. Gibbs spotted something lying on the floor. He walked over and picked it up. It was a red Ferrari just like Magnum. For once Gibbs really envied DiNozzo because he would have had to work a year in his dad's store just to buy a few of these toys. As Gibbs continued to look around the room something caught his eye. It was a boy's jacket lying on the back of a chair. He walked over and looked at it. The jacket had the name Anthony DiNozzo Jr. embroidered inside of it.

Gibbs walked over to the closet and decided to get dressed. He found several nice suits that looked like they could fit him. He decided to put the dark blue one on. When he was finished he heard a soft knock on the door. "Sweetie are you ready?"

"Yes."

The woman opened the door and walked into the room. She used her hand to push his hair back out of his eyes, "My goodness child it looks like I am going to have to take you and get your hair cut again. It is growing too fast."

Gibbs was shocked when the words flowed out of his mouth without him trying to say anything, "Mommy…I like the way my hair is now. You…you promised I could keep it long."

She smiled at him, "Yes…I know and I did promise you but I am going to miss seeing those big beautiful green eyes of yours."

Gibbs felt himself blushing just a little. Tony's mother reminded him so much of his own mother. As he continued to look at her he could sense something was not right with her. "Mommy…are you…okay?"

She smiled, "It's nothing baby…let's get going so we don't miss mass. I promise you as soon as we get back you can open up all your presents. Especially the one your Nana DiNozzo sent you last week."

As the day passed, Gibbs continued to remain in the body a seven-year-old Tony DiNozzo. He had a fun day with Tony's mother but he wanted to get back in his own body. It was getting late and it was time for him to go to bed. He had hoped by now he would have woken up and found himself back in his own body but it looked like it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. As he lay there in bed his thought went back to Tony's mother. She seemed to be a very good woman and he wondered why DiNozzo hardly ever talked about her. It wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep.

It was in the middle of the night when he woke up. He was thirsty and decided to get up and get him something to drink. As he headed down the stairs and toward the kitchen he could hear what sounded like someone in pain. He stopped and headed toward the sound. Gibbs found Tony's mother in the living room. She was sitting on the couch holding her head. He walked over to her, "Mommy are you okay?"

She looked up and smiled at him, "Yes baby, I'm okay. I just have one of those very bad headache that's all."

"Mommy do you want me to get you some aspirin or something?"

"No Sweetie…I have already taken some but it hasn't helped. Anthony dear…would you please go get Mommy some ice and put it in the ice bag for me? Maybe it will help. Maybe I just need to lie down for a little while the pain will go away."

Gibbs did as he was told. As he headed toward the kitchen he remembered DiNozzo once telling him that his mother had died from a brain tumor when he was only eight years old…


	2. Chapter 2

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

I want to thank everyone for their follows, favorites and especially the ones who took the time to review this story. Feedback is always welcome.

To NCIS fan & wytygr who thought this story could be a twist to some other movies, you are correct because there are some similarities between these movies that I can have some fun with.

I have started to work on the next chapter but it will probably not be posted until next weekend. I hope you enjoy…

**CHAPTER 2**

_**The Father and Son Fishing Trip….**_

Gibbs had hoped the next time he woke up he would be back in his own body but he could tell just by looking at his hands he was still a young boy. He was angry but there was nothing he could do about it. So he sat up and began to wipe the sleep from his eyes. He knew he had to get up because he couldn't stay in bed all day and hope he will change back to himself. Whoever or whatever did this to him was trying to teach him some kind of stupid lesson and by staying in bed he knew it wasn't going to happen.

It took Gibbs a few seconds to realize he was no longer in the same room he had gone to sleep in. This room had a big sliding glass window and it was slightly cracked open to allow a breeze to come in. He could hear what sounded like seagulls off in the distance. He also noticed the room had a funny salty smell to it. He slowly rose up out of the bed and headed toward the big window. It was still a little dark outside but he could still make out the ocean. He could also see the dark form of seagulls flying around. He knew he must be at the beach. He smiled because he had always loved the ocean. It always brought back memories of the time he spent with Shannon and Kelly. They were good times and he missed his two girls.

Gibbs decided to get dressed and check out where he is. It didn't take him long to discover there was nobody in the house so he decided to head outside and look around. Gibbs found DiNozzo's mother sitting on the front porch wrapped in several blankets. She smiled when she saw him and opened the blanket to invite him to share it with her. The mother and the son sat there for the next few minutes watching the sun as it rose.

"It beautiful…isn't it baby?"

Again it shocked Gibbs when he said, "Mommy…I told you I am not a baby anymore. I am going to be eight in two weeks."

She smiled because it was a little game they always played together, "Yes…but didn't I tell you I will still call you my baby even when you are in your late eighties?"

"Mommy…is daddy really taking me fishing today or is he just pulling my leg like he had done before?"

She laughed, "Yes, your daddy is taking you this time. He has gone to get the boat. He should be back shortly."

Gibbs moved to get up but Tony's mother stopped him. "Anthony…stay here with me for a few minutes so we can talk. I want you to know when you get back from fishing I won't be here. I have to go back to the city for a few days. Daddy and you are going to stay here and so you two can spend some time together."

Gibbs could sense something was seriously wrong. "Mommy…I want you to stay here with us?"

She shook her head and then smiled just a little, "Baby…I have to go to see the doctor again and find out why these headaches are getting worst. I am not sure how long it will take…but I promise you this…when I get back we will have a lot of fun together."

"Are you going to be okay?"

She kissed him on the forehead, "Don't you worry because the doctor will probably just give me some stronger medicine to take this time."

"Mommy, I can go with you so you won't be alone."

She smiled, "No Anthony…I want you and your daddy to spend some quality time together. You both needed it. Beside…I am not going to be alone my mother will be coming with me. Now go get your fishing gear that we bought you for your upcoming birthday. It won't be long before your daddy comes back here with the boat."

By the time Gibbs found the gear and came back outside. Gibbs found Tony's mom and dad in a very touching embrace. He could tell from the way they were both staring at each other that they were still in love. To Gibbs it seemed so strange for him to see a very younger Senior. He could see where Tony got his good looks. DiNozzo's parents were a handsome couple.

After a few seconds Gibbs felt a little awkward standing there with his fishing gear. He didn't want to interrupt their very intimate moment so he thought about heading back into the cottage but stopped when Senior finally released his wife. The father looked down at his son and smiled, "Junior are you ready?"

"Yes Dad."

"Well Junior it's time for us to leave…Tell your beautiful mom goodbye and we will see her when she gets back in a few days."

The fishing trip turned out to be a lot better than the ones he had with his own dad. Gibbs couldn't get over how much fun he had with Tony's dad. He never could imagine Senior to be such a good boater and fisherman. Senior talked about his family and his business trips. Gibbs was surprised to find out that Senior seemed to be truly interested in anything he had to say. Gibbs was now confused because he couldn't understand why Tony complained so much about his dad. To him…Senior seemed to be a great dad. Maybe all that stuff Tony had been telling them all those years was just to get attention and have someone feeling sorry for him…

_**Saying goodbye is always so hard to do…**_

The next time Gibbs woke up, he found himself sitting in a dark hospital room. The TV was on and a movie titled _"Angel With Dirty Faces"_ was playing. The sound was turned down very low. Gibbs could hear the soft beeping of the life support equipment and the rain hitting the window. He looked around the room and finally focused his eyes on the patient lying in the bed. It was Tony's mother and he could tell from the way she looked she was dying. He stood up and walked over to the bed and put his hand in her hand. She opened her green eyes and smiled. "Hi baby I…I see you finally woke up. Anthony…why don't you come lie down here with…with me?" She moved a little back to make room for him.

"Mom…I…I don't want to hurt you."

She padded the mattress next to her, "You won't baby…they got me on some really…good medication. Please lay…down with me? I want to be able to hold you one more time."

Gibbs lay down on the bed so he could face her. She laid her hand on his cheek. She kept looking at him as if she was trying to see inside his soul. They stayed that way until he decided to tell her something. Gibbs thought about what he would have said to his own mother if he had a chance to talk with her before she died, "Mommy…I…love you and I don't want you to go."

The heavy pain medication she had been given made her want to sleep all the time. She was doing her best to fight it because she wanted to spend her last few moments with her precious son. There were so many things she wanted to say to him but she knew there was not enough time. She smiled sadly as she rubbed his cheek, "I know baby…I know. I wish…I could see…you grow up and have a fam…family of your own. I am going to miss you so much. Baby…I want you to know I love you the moment I first…laid eyes on you. You were the…the most beau…ti…" Her green eyes stayed open but she never finished the sentence. It was only a second later; Gibbs heard the machine go off. Several nurses and a doctor come running into the room. One of nurses escorted him out into the hallway and told him to wait there until she comes for him. It was a few minutes later when she returned. She took him to the cafeteria to get him something to drink and eat.

"Anthony, can you tell me when your father is going to be coming back?"

"He told my…my mom and me that he would be back this afternoon. He…he had some business to take care of."

The nurse couldn't believe how heartless this man was. His wife was dying in the hospital and he left his eight-year-old son to be with her alone. She looked at her watch; "Okay…how about you come and stay with me at the nurses station until your father comes back for you?"

"Why can't I just stay in my mom's room? I promise I will be quiet and just sit there and watch TV. I won't bother anyone."

"Honey…I am sorry but you can't do that. Do you understand that your mother has passed away?"

Gibbs just nodded because he didn't really feel like talking.

She smiled, "Good…because you do understand we cannot let you back in her room. We are going to have to move your mother's body to another place in the hospital. The staff will need to start cleaning up the room and packing up all her things. You can stay with me until your father comes to pick you up."

The nurse just looked at the boy for a few seconds. Her heart was breaking. Earlier this morning she had overheard one of the nurses talking about how this sweet little boy had been keeping his dying mother company. When his mother was awake he would talk to her about everything under the sun. When she was sleeping he would watch TV with the sound turned down low so it would not disturbed her sleep.

She also heard another nurse talking about the boy's father. She had said the father was an uncaring jerk. He would bring the child to the hospital in the morning and drop him off so he could spend time with his mother. Sometimes the father would stay for a few hours but most of the time he would leave and not come back until late in the evening to pick up the child and take him home. Normally…children this boy's age was not allowed to stay with a terminally ill patient by themselves. They usually had to be accompanied by an adult. This boy's parents were good friends of the hospital administrator. The administrator had given them special permission so the boy could stay with his dying mother.

As Gibbs followed the nurse to the nurses' station he couldn't help but take one last look inside the room where Tony's mother had just died. He could see a couple of nurses changing the sheets and packing up her things.

It brought back so many memories of the time his mother had taken her own life. He remembered he had been in school that day and when it let out he found his dad waiting for him outside. Once they both were inside his father's truck, Jackson broke the news to him that his mother was gone. Jackson lied to him that his mother had died in her sleep. It was a little later he overheard someone in the store whispering that his mother had overdosed on sleeping pills. Gibbs decided that day he was not going to mention it to his father because he really didn't want to know the truth. He had always been a little mad at his mother for not allowing him the time to say goodbye to her. In a way, he was now was relieved to know she had gone peacefully in her sleep and did not suffer like Tony's mother did…


	3. Chapter 3

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_I want to thank everyone for their follows, favorites and especially the ones who took the time to review the last two chapters. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated. I have a few more ideas for some upcoming chapter but I am open to some suggestions. _

_Just to let you know my husband and I both love NCIS and the entire cast. We watch the show all the time and have all the DVD's and can't wait to see the new season. Tony is our favorite and Gibbs is second in line. We both have kidding around about how different Gibbs treats his boys compared to his girls. We both sometimes feel he can be a little harsh with his team under stressful conditions especially when it comes to Tony. This story is not to bash Gibbs in anyway but have him walk in Tony's shoes to see how he would handle things. I really don't want to change Gibbs too much but I just want him to be a little more understanding when it comes to his SFA._

_In this chapter I decided to have a little fun with Gibbs because I know he would of handled this situation a little different from Tony. I hope you like?_

**CHAPTER 3**

_**The American Civil War Reenactment near the **__**Manassas battlefield in VA**__**…**_

Gibbs jumped when he heard a very loud explosion from behind him. He quickly turned and was surprised to find himself standing in the middle of what looked like something out of the American Civil War. There were men dressed in gray and blue uniforms firing old musket rifles and pistols at each other. Some of them were on horseback while others were on foot. Gibbs didn't move as five confederate soldiers ran past him. A few seconds later several armed men dressed in blue uniforms ran past him next. The last man yelled to him that he better move out of the way before he gets hurt. Gibbs turns his head just as a soldier on horseback was heading toward him. He had to fall backwards to avoid being trampled on. As Gibbs lay there he watched the man on horseback gallop past him and disappeared over a small hill.

Gibbs decided it was time for him to get the hell out of the way. As he stood up, he looked around to make sure there was nobody else heading in his direction. When he thought it was safe he started to brush himself off. It wasn't long before his nose caught a whiff of a foul odor. He looked down and noticed a turned over bucket and what looked like human waste just lying a few feet from him. He nearly tripped over a tree branch trying to move away from it.

It took him a few seconds but it finally registered to him where he must be and what the hell was going on. If he was supposed to be walking in DiNozzo's shoe this had to be one of Senior's American Civil War Reenactment groups. He remembered Tony telling him all about it on their first stakeout together. While they were waiting around for the relief team to show up, the two men had started talking about who had the worst job ever. Gibbs remembered it as if it was yesterday.

_Gibbs was so sure he had the worst job ever so he bet the younger man twenty dollars. He told DiNozzo that one summer he had to work on his uncle's farm to earn some extra money. He was planning to buy this old dilapidated __Hemi __and rebuild it.__ His uncle had him clean out all the animal stalls, feed the animals and helped to deliver a couple of calves. _

_DiNozzo laughed out loud and told him that he had him beat by a mile. The younger man started out by telling him about his father's favorite hobby. His father was in love with the American Civil War and everything about it. His father's study had two walls just covered with all kinds of American Civil War __paraphernalia and he started going into detail about each piece._

_Gibbs had to stop him, "DiNozzo would you get to what your job was or am I going to have to wait until we return here tomorrow before I find out?" _

"_Oh…sorry…Boss…anyway there was this American Civil War reenactment thing coming up in the spring of 1978 and I was going to be out of school for two weeks. My dad thought it would be a great time for some father and son bonding. He had already signed himself up months ago but decided at the last minute to sign me up too. All the good stuff had been taken by then. Do you know what my dad signed me up for?"_

_Gibbs knew it wasn't really a question. He waited for DiNozzo to continue his story._

"_My dad signed me up to carry the FREAKING POOP BUCKET. Can you imagine having to carry a bucket around so everyone can crap in it? It was so humiliating."_

_The older man laughed so hard he almost fell off the chair he was sitting on. It took him a few minutes to gain his composure before he asked, "Tony…you got to be pulling my leg because only a stupid idiot would have agreed to do something like that." _

_Tony went quiet and Gibbs could see the hurt in the younger man's eyes. Tony handed him the twenty dollars and told him he won the bet. Gibbs tried to give the money back but DiNozzo told him he had won the bet and to keep the money. It was a couple years later he overheard SFA mentioning it to Ziva and McGee when they were working the American Civil War case. _

While Gibbs was standing there thinking about the past he didn't notice a man on a dark horse just behind him.

The man yelled, "Private DiNozzo pick up that mess. We don't want anyone stepping in it."

Gibbs turned and looked at the man who gave the order. This man could have been General Ulysses S. Grant's twin brother. Gibbs remembered seeing pictures of Grant in the history books at school. He had admired the general ever since his parent had once taken him to see Grant's Tomb when he was just a little boy.

The General Grant lookalike grinned because he always loves getting this reaction from people when they see him for the first time in the uniform. He never gets tired of seeing it because it sure beats that reaction he gets during the week when he is only a plumber.

He sat on the horse and waited but the DiNozzo kid didn't move or say a word. He decided it was time for him to get a little tough with the boy, "Private DiNozzo…did you hear my order."

Gibbs finally answered, "Yes, I heard you but there is no way in hell I am going to pick up that crap."

At first the man looked a little surprised but then the look turned into anger, "Son…that is no way for you to talk to an adult or an officer of the American Union Army. You will clean up this mess or I will report this insubordination to your father."

Gibbs grinned to himself, _'So…this would-be general wants to stay in character, well I can play this game too'. _

Gibbs immediately stood at attention and saluted the man, "Sir…first of all I am not your son. Second…you can report me all you want to my dad because I am not going to touch that crap no matter what happens…SIR."

Gibbs almost laughed out loud when the would-be general started to look like he was going to blow a gasket or something. The man's face was turning a beet red. What made it even funnier was to see the American Civil War general pulled out his hand radio and started yelling into it. "CAPTAIN DINOZZO GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE."

It didn't take long for Gibbs to see someone on a horse galloping across the battlefield and headed directly toward them. As the rider got closer, Gibbs could tell it was Tony's father. Senior was grinning until he saw his son standing at attention in front of the general. He turned and looked at the man, "George…what has my son done?"

"Captain DiNozzo…your boy is refusing to do the job that was assigned to him."

Senior looked at his son, "Junior…you know we have already talked about this and you did agree to do this."

Gibbs shook his head, "Dad…I know what I said but I am not going to do this. How can you ask me to do this? It's not right. It is too disgusting and degrading."

"Junior…it was you who wanted us to spend some quality time together."

"Dad, this is not quality time and I am not going to carry this crap. You need to get someone else or do it yourself."

Senior was angry because his son was making him look like a fool in front of one of his friends. He whispered into his son's ear, "Junior…if you don't do this then I will take you behind one of those trees and use my belt on you."

Gibbs just stared at Senior for a few seconds and finally says, "Fine…then let's go and get it over because I am still not going to carry that stupid bucket no matter what you say or do."

Senior was speechless because his son had never talked back to him like this before.

When Gibbs was a feet from the trees, he stopped and turned around. Senior was still standing where he had left him. He yelled to Senior, "Dad…are you coming or not because I am not going to wait here forever."

Gibbs grinned as he watched DiNozzo's father just stand there too dumbfounded and not sure what to do next…

Two hours later, Gibbs found himself shucking corn. It was his new job since he refused to carry that stupid poop bucket. Several men and women were busy working on preparing the food. When Gibbs slowed down to watch them someone walked over with a huge basket of corn and sat it right down in front of him. Gibbs looked up at the man. The man grinned and told him to get back to work.

It wasn't long before the participants of the American Civil War Reenactment Group started lining up for the food. Gibbs was assigned to walk around and help pour the tea. He was wearing this huge apron that was just too big for him. At one point he almost tripped and spilled it on the would-be General Ulysses S. Grant. The man did not look pleased and was about to say something when his wife stepped between them. She smiled at Gibbs and helped to adjust the apron so he wouldn't trip on it again.

For some strange reason Gibbs found himself missing Tony's father and was looking forward to seeing him again. He couldn't understand why he had these feeling but they were there. As he walked around he kept looking for the man. He finally spotted Senior standing in one of the food line flirting with several very beautiful women dressed in southern bell costumes. Gibbs tried to get his attention but was disappointed when Senior would not even look at him.

It was almost dark when Gibbs was finally finished helping to cleanup and allowed to leave. He was exhausted and headed directly toward the rented cabin he somehow knew it was where they were staying. He was not too surprised to find it empty. The cabin was small but it had two medium size beds and there was a note on one of them. He walked over and picked it up and looked at it.

_Junior,_

_Don't wait up for me because it is our last night here and I want to go out partying with some of my friends. I should be back around midnight. Don't forget we will be leaving here early in the morning. So, make sure you have all your things packed before you go to bed tonight. I will see you in the morning._

_Dad_

Gibbs just shook his head and dropped the note back on the bed. He looked around and only saw a few things that needed to be packed away. He knew it wouldn't take him long so he decided to wait until the morning to do it.

He was too tired to change so he sat down on the bed. He just sat there for a few minutes before he decided to lie down. He had closed his eyes for a few minutes when he got this strange feeling that he was being watched. He opened his eyes and looked around the cabin. He saw someone in the corner of the room just staring at him. It looked almost like Tony. Gibbs sat up in the bed and wiped his eyes to make sure he was seeing what he was seeing. He finally found the words to speak, "Who…who are you?"

Whatever the apparition was it didn't say anything but it continued to stare at him a few seconds longer before it vanished into thin air…

Gibbs jumped up, "WAIT…WAIT YOU CAN'T GO. YOU NEED TO TELL ME WHEN THE HELL I AM GETTING OUT OF THIS…THIS FREAKING NIGHTMARE?"

Gibbs waited but whatever it was never appeared. He laid back down on the bed and just kept staring at the empty space. Within minutes he was sound asleep…


	4. Chapter 4

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_I want to thank everyone for their follows, favorites and especially the ones who took the time to review the last three chapters. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated. I still have a few more ideas for some upcoming chapters but I am open to suggestions. They give me something to think about and maybe try and fit them into the story somewhere in the story._

_To lindycat – I never thought about it but when Gibbs losses his tempter he does act like a little kid throwing a tantrum. He has a big heart but sometimes he lets his temper get in the way. _

_To NCIS fan – Yes the next scene is going to be Tony left behind in Maui. I grinned when I saw you mentioned it. We are now going to see how Gibbs handles this one._

_To Senior - What the hell were you thinking when you left Tony alone for two days?_

_The next update will probably be sometime next weekend unless I can finish the chapter sooner._

**CHAPTER 4**

_**Left alone at the **__**Kaanapali Alii Hotel**__** In Maui…**_

The next time Gibbs became aware of his surroundings he found himself sitting inside an Air Maui helicopter. He was wearing a pair of oversized headphones and the pilot was talking about the history of something, which he didn't quite catch the name of. Gibb's turned to the right and saw Tony's old man looking out one of the large viewing windows. Senior seemed to be transfixed on something below them. The older man finally turned his head and smiled at him. He patted the seat next to him for his son to join him. Gibbs got up and moved to the other side of the aisle. As soon as he sat down Senior started pointing out the window. Gibbs had to stand up so he could get a better view. As he looked out the window he could see lava flowing out of the ground. He had always wanted to see this but never had the time. He almost found himself mesmerized by it...

For the next two hours the father and son shared together the wonders of the Hawaiian Islands. They saw the rain forests, black sand beaches, waterfalls, an active volcano and even the dormant volcano Haleakala. As they fly across the bluish green waters, Gibbs grinned when he saw a mother humpback whale with her small calf swimming along side of her. He wondered why Tony never mentioned this to him before? It was something he would have thought Tony would have bragged about it.

After they were finished with the tour Senior started bragging to him about how he had won a drinking bet with the owner of the helicopter chapter company the night before. The man paid up by giving Senior a private free two-hour helicopter ride for two of them around the islands. Gibbs grinned a little to himself because Tony had once warned him what a good con artist his father was and to be careful around him.

Now that the tour was over, it was time for them to eat. Senior remembered at last night's luau someone had recommended this Hawaiian restaurant not too far from the hotel they were staying at. They served all traditional Hawaiian dishes. Senior decided he was going to take his son there to eat. It didn't take him long to find the place. As soon as they walked in the maitre d' greeted them and paced a lai around each of their necks. Gibbs raised his eyes and shook his head as Senior started flirting with the girl. The maitre d' looked like she could have just gotten out of high school and in her late teens.

Once they were seated Senior ordered the Pu Pu platter for them to share. He also ordered a side dish of their hot and spicy shrimp. He heard it could mess up your taste buds for a few hours and he wanted to have some fun with his young son.

While they waited for their food, Senior ordered a Banana Mango smoothie for Junior and a Mai Tai for himself. By the time the food finally arrived Senior was on his second Mai Tai. Gibbs was hungry and started to help himself to the platter but Senior stopped him. He wanted him to try the shrimp first. Gibbs saw the grin on Senior's face and knew something was up. He bit into the shrimp and immediately could tell it was very hot. He looked at Tony's father and could tell the man was waiting for him to spit it out. Gibbs was just too stubborn and was not going to allow Tony's father to have a laugh at his expense. When he was finished chewing the piece of shrimp he swallowed it and asked for some more. The smile immediately went off Senior's face as he places a couple of pieces in his son's plate. Senior decided to grab one and pop it into his mouth. Within seconds he was grabbing for his Mai Tai glass but there was nothing in it. He then grabbed his son's smoothie and finished it. Senior gave his son a dirty look. Gibbs stood up and reached over to get himself some more of the shrimp. He popped it into his mouth and he knew he was going to pay for it later when he had to use the bathroom but he was having too much fun with Senior at the moment.

When they were finally finished eating the father and son headed to the Kaanapali Beach. Senior had made arrangements with a Hawaiian female tourist guide to take Junior snorkeling and also to teach him a few things about surfing. Gibbs knew he didn't have any choice in the matter and he had to play along. He watched as Senior headed toward the hotel bar.

Once Senior's drink arrived he headed to the outside patio. He sat down under a bright yellow umbrella so he could enjoy his drink and watch his son taking lessons. He grinned because he also knew it was a good way to check out all the beautiful women wearing skimpy bikinis. Tomorrow he made plans to take his son to see the Pearl Harbor War Memorial but tonight he was going to go out and have a good time. He believed Junior was now old enough to be by himself for a few hours.

The next morning Gibbs found himself standing on a balcony overlooking a great view of the Pacific Ocean. Senior had booked a big spacious two-bedroom suite for them on the top floor. Gibbs could see everything from where he was. When he got tired of the balcony he decided to explore the rooms. It didn't take him long to notice a brochure lying by the phone. In big bold Helvetica type was the words "Welcome to the Kaanapali Alii Hotel. The woman who was giving him lessons yesterday was in a picture on the front cover. He picked it up and began looking through it. As he put it back into its place he saw the blinking message light on the phone. He pressed the button.

"Junior…it's your d…dad. I'm calling just to let you know…I…won't be back for the rest of the night or maybe the morning. I met this g…gorgeous woman who invited me to her mansion on Molokai. She is throwing this private party and she wants to introduce me to all her friends. Her name is Stella. Who knows, if things work out, Stella might end up being your next stepmother? Can you imagine us living in Hawaii all year round? Well…Junior I have to go now…now but I want you to remember what I told you last night. You are to stay inside the room and don't talk or invite anyone in. Leave the do not disturb sign on the door and this way no cleaning lady will come in. If anyone does knock on the door tell them I am in the bathroom or something like that. I promise you when I get back I will take you to see that Pearl Harbor thing that you been bugging me about for the past few days. See you later son and behave because I don't want to have use my belt on you."

Gibbs just shook his head. He could tell by Senior's voice that he had been drinking. Gibbs had always thought DiNozzo was stretching the truth just a little about Senior leaving him in a hotel for two days. Gibbs could not imagine how any caring parent could do that to their twelve-year-old son? Gibb's thought about his own father. He remembered when he was fifteen years old Jackson drove him all the way up to Albany, NY so he could visit his great aunt. His father did not want him taking a bus all by himself. His father believed it was to just too dangerous for a boy his age.

For the next several hours Gibbs kept himself busy by reading the newspaper that was left outside the door. When he was finished, he watched the news on the TV. He was starting to get a little hungry so he decided to order him something to eat. He grinned at the thought of the time Tony told him about his father's hotel bill. Gibbs decided he was going to help add to it. When he was finished eating he looked around and there was nothing else for him to do so he decided he was going to take a walk on the beach. He left Senior a note and headed out.

As Gibbs walked along the beautiful shoreline he wondered how much longer he was going to stay in this form. He already knew Senior was not the best father but what else was he supposed to be learning? He was so deep in thought he did not notice that he had wandered into a very isolated area. When he finally realized where he was he decided it was time for him to head back to the hotel. As he walked back he started to get this strange feeling in his gut that he was being watched. He looked around and finally noticed this man in his late thirties or early forties was following him. Gibbs knew this was not a good place for a twelve-year-old boy to be so he decided to pick up his pace. It wasn't long before the man caught up to him and grabbed his shoulder to stop him, "Hey son…what's the hurry? Don't you remember me?"

Gibbs stopped and turned to look at the man. "Mister…I don't know who you are and if you don't get your hand off my shoulder I am going to kick you where your mother never kissed you."

The guy looked a little surprised and took a step back. He raised both his hands, "Hey kid…I'm sorry I was just trying to be sociable that's all. I thought you would remember me from that luau the other night? I remember you there with your dad. You both were talking with that Mason woman and me. Don't you remember?"

Gibbs just nodded.

The man looked around, "By the way where is your dad? A young good looking boy like you shouldn't be alone."

Gibbs didn't answer because this guy was giving him the creeps and he knew he was in a bad situation.

"Look kid…I am just trying be helpful. It's really dangerous for you to be wandering around here by yourself. Why don't you let me take you back to your hotel? I bet your dad is worried about you?"

Gibbs almost wanted to laugh in the man's face because he knew Senior really didn't care. If he did he would not be here alone by himself but he didn't want to tell this creep that, "My dad is waiting for me and I have to get back. So, if you will excuse me I need to go."

The man steps in front of him. "I am sorry son…I can't let you go back by yourself. Come with me and I will drive you to where your dad is."

Gibbs knew what this guy wanted and he had no intention of going with him, "Mister…leave me alone. I have to get back to the hotel or my dad is going to get worried. I need to go now."

"Boy you are not going anywhere but with me." The man grabbed him by the arm and struck him across the face. Gibbs became disoriented. The man was then able to start dragging him toward a heavy foliage area. Gibbs tried to stop him but his body was not cooperating like it should. He was helpless to stop the man.

While Gibbs was struggling to try and free himself, he did not notice an old couple that happened to be walking by. They were collecting driftwood and shells when they saw the boy being dragged. The old man signaled his wife to stay where she was. He pulled his machete out of its holster. The old man started yelling at the other man to leave the boy alone.

Gibbs' assailant took one look at the huge knife and took off. Gibbs fell to the ground. The old man ran over to the boy, "Son are you okay? Do I need to call an ambulance or something?"

Gibbs nodded, "No…I will be okay. Thank…you…you…Sir…can…can you help me back to my hotel?"

The old couple walked him all the way back to the hotel. They wanted to call the police but Gibbs talked them out of it. He knew if they called the police on that man he would be questioned about where his father was. He didn't really want to get Senior in trouble. He told the old couple that his father would be angry with him if he knew he went out alone. He promised them he learned his lesson and will never do it again. They didn't like it but they told him that they would not tell.

When Gibbs entered the room he was still shaking from what happened. He looked around and could see Senior had not returned. He closed the door and slowly slides down it. He closed his eyes and began to shake even more. What happened out there really scared him like he had never been before. He wondered if this happened to his SFA when he was here? He hoped Tony had never come across that bastard. If he finds out Tony did he was going to personally hunt the pervert down and kill him…

While Gibbs was sitting there in thought, he didn't notice a dark form standing in the corner of the room watching him…


	5. Chapter 5

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_As always thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review. __I do want to apologize for the lengthy messages but I felt it was necessary. I promise you Chapter 5 is right after it._

_To the guest reviewer who wrote me the lengthy review. – I would have preferred to do this by a private message but since I can't I am doing it this way. First of all, I am truly sorry for your loss. I can only imagine what you went through watching a family member pass away. I wanted you to know, I really did not miss any written opportunities when Tony's mother died. I know I could have added more but I choose not to. As I started writing the scene it brought back too many painful memories of when my dad passed away from cancer. I decided just to use what I had and leave it at that. _

_As for my choices on how this story is going to go. – There will be times when Gibbs will be just be an observer in this story but there will also be times Gibbs will interact with the situations and his temper and stubbornness will definitely show up. I personally feel this does belong in the story because this is what got Gibbs into the situation to begin with. Gibbs needs to learn to control his temper and not take it out on the people closes to him. The other thing is I do want to have some fun with this story and put Gibbs into Tony situations and see how his handles them. If I can't have this fun than I might as well not write it because it was really the reason why I wanted to write the story in began with. __So I am just warning you ahead of time if this is not your cup of tea and you feel this is going to muddle the story…PLEASE do not bother to read any further because I feel it will be a waste of your time._

_As for having me a beta reader…I have thought about this seriously in the past but have decided against using one. I have known from the beginning they can be very helpful with stories, grammar and typos. I strongly feel if I have a beta reader than the story is no longer mine but ours. I am not knocking any beta reader or anyone who chooses to have a beta reader because it is their choice and I do respect it and I hope you respect my choice not to have one?_

_Now to the reviewer who asked about Ducky - I love the Scotsman but Ducky will not be showing up until near the end. You will then find out a little more about our good Dr. Mallard and his friend. _

_WARNING: This chapter has Gibbs/Tony still in danger. I have change the Rating to M just to be on the safe side. Please be forewarned there are mentions of child abuse and the death of a minor character. _

**CHAPTER 5**

Gibbs started to feel himself calming down just a little. He was surprised at his reaction because he never felt so scared in all his life. He wondered if these feelings were really coming from the boy Tony himself. He hated to admit it but he now wished he had have listen to Senior and stayed in the hotel room…

As he sat there with his back against the door he heard a noise. He looked across the room and saw the pervert from the beach stepping out from behind one of the curtains. Gibbs slowly got to his feet without taking his eyes off the intruder.

The man took a step forward and stopped. "Son…I really didn't mean to scare you earlier, I hope you understand that? I really only want to be your friend. A pretty boy like you shouldn't be walking around by yourself."

Gibbs could feel his body starting to shake again. He couldn't understand why he kept acting this way. He was a fully trained ex-marine and federal agent. He had taken down men twice his size with no problems. He felt he should be able to defend himself against this pervert but for some strange reason he was too scared to think. Right now, he felt just like a scared little boy who was powerless to defend himself against this creep. Gibbs opened his mouth and all he could say was, "Mister…my…my dad is just down the hall he will be here in any min…minute." He wasn't sure if it was coming from him or the Tony inside him.

The man grinned slightly, "I was at the bar last night with your dad and my friend Stella. I overheard the message he left you. Your dad kept calling you Junior so I bet your name is Tony like his? Am I right?"

Gibbs just stared at the man and didn't say a word.

"Tony…I know your dad is with my friend Stella and they both headed to Molokai last night. They mentioned something about wanting to go to the mainland today. I…really don't understand how your dad can leave you in a hotel room all by yourself. If you were my son I would always keep you close to me. I would buy you anything you ever wanted." The man took another step closer.

Gibbs hand was shaking as he raised it to make the man stop moving toward him, "Mister you better leave or I…I will start screaming my lungs out."

The man stopped in his tracks. Gibbs could tell the pervert was trying to decide what he was going to do next. What Gibbs didn't expect was the man to come charging right at him. The man grabbed him and put a cloth covered with chloroform over his nose and mouth. Gibbs struggled for a few seconds longer and then everything went black…

The next time Gibbs woke up he found himself lying on one of the beds. His hands and feet were tied to the bed. He also had a gag in his mouth so he can't yell. He watched helplessly as the man began to remove the last of his clothes. The creep sat down next to him. Gibbs could see only lust in that bastard's eyes. As the pervert started rubbing his right leg he could feel the tremors in his body getting worst.

It was at that moment; Gibbs noticed something dark beginning to materialize right behind the man. Once it took form, it looked like the translucent Tony he had seen back in the tent. Whatever this thing was it picked the pervert up and threw him across the room. The unconscious man laid on the floor for a few seconds before he completely vanished into thin air.

Gibbs watch as the ghost or whatever this thing was…moved closer to the bed. It almost looked like Tony but was a little taller and slimmer than his SFA. Its dark hair was long and shaggy. The most striking feature on its face was its dark eyes. Gibbs felt it was looking into his soul. He watched as it closed its eyes and within seconds the gag and ropes disappeared. Gibbs sat up and began rubbing both his hands to get the feeling back in them. He finally looked at the ghostly being, "Thanks."

It spoke, "You are welcome Leroy Jethro."

Gibbs stared at it for a few seconds before he asked, "Who are you?"

"My friend calls me Cailean."

Gibbs looked back at the area where the pervert vanished and pointed to it, "Was he real? What happened to him?"

"He is gone…you need not worry about him anymore. He will not be back."

"Can you tell me why am I here?"

"I have already told you."

It finally registered to Gibbs he heard that voice before, "You want me to walk in DiNozzo's shoes."

"Yes."

"I already know about DiNozzo's past because he told me. He never shuts up about it."

"You only know what he lets you know."

"I don't need to…"

Cailean raised his hand to stop him from saying another word. "ENOUGH…the longer you fight this the longer you will stay like this."

Gibbs knew he wasn't going to win this argument so he finally gave in, "How?"

"Be just an observer and Anthony's past will reveal itself. It is now time for me to leave."

"Wait…I need to know something. Did…did DiNozzo ever meet that bastard?"

Cailean nodded.

Gibbs closed his eyes because it was something he didn't want to hear. He finally whispered, "DiNozzo never told me…"

"There are many secrets Anthony has kept from you. This is one of them."

"How…how did it happen? All he ever told me was that he ran up his father's credit card for those two days."

"Leroy Jethro…you were not the only one who was bored. Anthony like you decided to go for a walk along the beach. He also met up with the man. An old couple did help him to get away and when Anthony returned to this room the man was waiting for him just like he was waiting for you."

Gibbs could feel the fear building up inside him, "Did…that bastard hurt him?"

"Yes…because unlike you there was nobody here to help him. For a long time after young Anthony blamed himself for not listening to his father and staying in the hotel room. You now see you have much to learn about your friend."

Within a few seconds, Gibbs was alone in the room…

_**The next morning…**_

Senior was having such a good time on the mainland with his lady friend that he had totally forgotten all about his twelve-year-old son back at the hotel in Maui. When he finally remembers his son, he jumped ups out of the bed and grabbed his clothes and gets dressed. He apologizes to Stella and tells her if she was ever in New York to look him up as he was running out the door.

It was almost dark outside when Senior finally arrived back at the hotel. As he entered the suite he was surprised to see the TV on but no Junior sitting in front. He called out for his son but there was no answer. He was starting to get a little angry with his son because he warned him not to leave the room. As he walked around the suite he finally heard a noise coming from one of the closets. He walked over and opened the door. It was at that moment he was surprised when his son reached out and hugged him as if his life depended on it. Senior didn't know what to think. He had never had known his son to be so clingy…

_**Summer Camps – Clogging and throwing knives…**_

The last thing Gibbs remembered he was holding onto Senior for his dear life but when he opened his eyes he was still clinging to Tony's father but they where no longer in the hotel room. They were now standing in front of a big sign, "Welcome to Camp Songbird – The Best Survival Camp for Kids."

He looked up at Senior and he could tell the man looked a little uncomfortable with their closeness. "Junior…it's been months since Maui. I…I am sorry about what happened and I can't change it. I paid a lot of money for you to come here. Doctor Smith recommended this place. He said the counselors are very good at helping children get on with their lives."

Gibbs was surprised when the words come flowing out of his mouth, "Dad…please…don't leave me here. I want to go back home. I promise I won't get into any more trouble."

Senior looked frustrated and wasn't sure exactly what to do or say. He finally bent down just a little so he could be more eye level with his son. "Look Junior…I know what happened back in Maui had to have scared the shit out of you but things like that can happen to anyone. You're a DiNozzo and you need to get over with it. You can't keep dwelling in the past. I have spent a great deal of money for you to see Doctor Smith and come to this place. You are going to have to help here too because I don't know what else to do."

Senior looked at his watch, "Junior…I…am sorry but I do have to leave so I can catch my flight. I will be gone for two weeks and when I get back I will come and get you." Senior smiled and looked into his son's eyes as if he was studying him to see if he would be okay. When he didn't see it, he just smiled and headed toward the car. Senior turned and waved goodbye. Gibbs watched until the car disappeared down the roadway.

Gibbs stood there for a few seconds and watched as a group of boys and girls boarded a bus. The kids seemed to be excited about wherever they were going. They looked as if they could be between the ages of eight through twelve. He cringed at the thought of being here for two weeks. He remembered Cailean told him to let DiNozzo show him the way. He wanted to get this over with so he decided he was going to try and stay low for a while.

The boy Tony almost jumped when he heard someone yell his name. He raised his hand.

The older boy walked over, "DiNozzo?"

Tony nodded.

The older boy smiled, "Good…my name is Jake. I am one of the junior counselors here. I was assigned to help you get settled in. But…before we can assign you a cabin you will need to sit down and talk with our camp shrink Doctor John Sullivan. He wants to make sure you are placed with the right group. Now pick up your things and follow me."

Tony did as he was told.

It was almost two hours later he was assigned to Cabin 4-E. He would be staying with three other boys about his own age. He was told these boys had similar experiences as he did. He and the other boys would be meeting with him every afternoon for an hour session to talk about anything they wanted.

_Gibbs almost laughed at the thought of what would happen if the man knew the truth about DiNozzo and himself._

When the boy Tony walked into the cabin he was surprised to see it was empty. Jake showed him where to put his things and which bed was going to be his for the next two weeks. He was happy when he saw he was getting one of the upper bunks. He had always wanted to sleep in an upper bunk and now he was getting the chance. The junior counselors told him the other boys were out on a ten-mile hike and they would be back later today and he would introduce them to each other. Jake asked him if he was hungry. Tony nodded and they both headed to the mess hall.

It was just an hour before dinner when Tony's bunkmate returned.

"Tony this is Peter, Joseph and Darrell. They will be sharing this room with you for the next two weeks. Darrell has volunteered to be your camp buddy. Now that the introductions have been made you boys better get cleaned up. We eat in about an hour.

Tony's bunkmates grabbed their soaps, towels and a change of clothes and heading toward the showers. The smallest of the boys Darrell stopped and looked at Tony.

"Tony…are you coming or not? You know they do expect us to be at the mess hall on time."

Tony seemed nervous about the idea of taking his clothes off in front of other boys. All he could say was, "I…I don't remember my dad packing any…soap for me."

The boy smiled and headed to his bag. He reached into it and pulled out a bar soap and tossed it to him, "My mom always packs extra stuff for me. You can have this one."

Tony looked down at the soap and thanked the boy. He picked up his towel and a change of clothes and followed Darrell to the showers. After what happened to him, he was nervous about undressing in front of anyone. He was so relieved when he walked into the building and saw individual stalls for changing their clothes and taking showers.

Darrell knew immediately what his new friend was thinking. He smiled, "Tony…I felt the same way the first time I was here. It's not so bad once you get to know your way around here. This place helps kids like us. They understand what we have gone through and only want to help."

Tony looked at the boy but almost afraid to ask, "Did…did someone do something bad to you too?"

Darrell nodded, "It was my mom's brother. It happened almost three years ago. This is…my second year here and it has helped me a lot."

"I am sorry."

"Tony listen there is no need for you to be sorry. My uncle is in jail so I am safe now. It happened and there is nothing anyone can do to change it. I am getting better but I still have nightmares...sometimes. My doctor says they may go away for good someday I sure hope he is right." Darrell decided he wanted to change the subject. "Hey…we better take our showers. Monday is always Pizza. If we are late we are going to miss out on what choice of pizza we want. You have to try their pizza with pepperoni, sausage with extra cheese. I know you are going to love it…"

The two boys took their showers and made it in time for their pizza. After eating the best pizza in the world the two boys had some free time to do whatever they wanted. Darrell decided he was going to take his new camp buddy and show him around. Every time they would meet up with someone Darrell would stop introduce Tony as his new best friend. Tony grinned.

Darrell looked at his friend and had to ask, "What is so funny?"

"What?"

"Why are you grinning? Do you think I am funny or something?"

"No…it just I never really had a friend. I…I mean I never had a best friend. It feels good inside."

Darrell stopped and faced him, "Tony I find that hard to believe that you never had a best friend? Everybody has a best friend."

Tony felt a little uncomfortable, "No…not everybody. I…go to this strict catholic school and the only time I get to be around anyone is during breaks. We talk and play some but that is about it. My dad and me live in this big house. The neighborhood is mostly adults. There are no kids my age to play with. So most of the time I am by myself. My dad is talking about selling the place and moving to an apartment in New York City. Maybe I can make some friends there."

Darrell put his hand on Tony shoulder and smiled, "Well…I don't really know if it is a good thing or not but consider me as your best friend."

"I will be leaving in two weeks."

"We can write each other all the time. Tony…you do know how to write…don't you?"

Tony laughed out loud, "Of coarse I do. Can you?"

The next morning, Tony woke up to the sound of someone playing reveille on a bugle. Darrell's head popped up into Tony's view. "Morning camp buddy and best friend, you better hurry up and get dressed or we are going to miss the best pancakes in the world."

Tony looked at the time and it was only five in the morning. He turned over and covered his head with the pillow. This was just too early for him.

Darrell didn't give up and started to shake the bed, "Come on Tony. Please…you have to get up. I promised Jake that I would be your camp buddy. I can't leave here until you ready too."

Tony tossed the pillow to the foot of the bed. He turned over and opened one eye, "Camp buddy? I thought you were just helping me to learn my way around."

"That's just one part of being a camp buddy. The other part is you and I…are responsible for each other. I cannot go to the mess hall until you are ready too. If we don't get there early enough we will miss out on the great pancakes and get stuck with just the leftovers. I don't want that to happen. So…Tony pleeeease get up and get dressed so we can go."

Tony finally jumped down from the top bunk and asked, "Darrell, do you always think of food?"

Darrell laughed, "Only if the food is good and this place has some of the best food."

Both boys made it just in time for the pancakes and Tony had to agree they were good."

When they were finished eating Darrell grabbed Tony's arm and started pulling him toward the door. "Come on…or we are going to miss our clogging lesson."

Tony looked at him and asked, "What is clogging?"

Darrell laughed, "It's a form of dancing…Tony…I promise you…you will like it."

Around two that afternoon, Doctor John Sullivan met with the four boys in their cabin for their group session. They sat around in a circle on the floor and talked about how their day was going. Sullivan laughed out loud when Peter and Joseph bragged that they beat Darrell to the mess hall early this morning. He grinned when he heard the new kid Tony like his clogging lesson and was pretty good at it for the first time. After a while, the doctor asked them how they were all feeling.

Peter was the first to speak, "I haven't had a nightmare in over two months. I tried to call my mom the other day but she still blames me for our family problems."

"Pete how are you doing now that you live with your grandparents?"

"They have been great. I don't know where I would be if I didn't have them."

"Good, what about you Joseph?"

"I am doing good but sometimes I feel I am a prisoner. My parents mean well but they won't let me go anywhere without one of them with me. They are afraid someone else will kidnap me. I was so surprised and very happy when they said I could come this year."

"Well, you need to thank your doctor because he was the one who talked them into it."

"What about you…Darrell? How are you doing these days?"

"I am doing good. I do think about it now and then. I don't have any nightmares anymore."

The doctor smiled, "That is real good to hear. And you Anthony?"

Tony looked at the man and then to the boys, "I would rather not talk about it right now."

"Anthony…I will not force you to talk about what happened to you in Maui but you will eventually have to if you want to get better. Peter, Joseph and Darrell have experienced something similar to what you have. If you don't want to talk to me right now, you might be able to talk with one of them."

Tony just shook his head and lowered his eyes. Darrell could see his new best friend wasn't ready to talk with the group so he decided to change the subject. "Doctor Sullivan…did you know I overheard Sarah in the mess hall was going to make a superman birthday cake for my surprise birthday party next week?"

The doctor looked at him in surprise, "Darrell how do you find these things out. It was supposed to be a surprise. Your mother had made all the arrangements and wanted to keep it a secret."

Peter laughed and said, "When it comes to food I think Darrell has bionic ears like Steve Austin."

Sullivan, "Steve Austin?"

"Yah…didn't you ever watch the Six Million Dollar Man?"

"It wasn't Steve Austin that had the bionic ear?"

Peter turned and looked at Tony, "Yes it was."

"No it was Jaime Sommers and she was the Six Million Dollar Woman. She is the one who had the bionic ear."

Peter thought about it for a second, "You know I think you are right. Steve Austin had the bionic eye."

Darrell just sat there and grinned, he not only got the attention away from Tony but he managed to find out he is getting a superman cake for his secret birthday party.

The next day Jake took the four boys and two other groups for a long hike. They would not be back until around noon. By the time they made it back the kids were all tired. Jake made them take a shower and head to the mess hall to get them something to eat. After lunch, Sullivan had the Cabin 4-E boys for another session with them. Tony still did not want to talk. Sullivan didn't want to push it. So, he let Tony just sit there and listen.

After the session the boys had some free time. Pete and Joe went to play some baseball with so other friends. Darrell told Tony he had to go call his mom and he would see him later. Tony decided to go down to the dock and try to improve his diving skills. He was on his fifth dive when Darrell pulled him aside. "Tony you are not going to believe what I just signed us up for…go ahead and guess."

Tony wasn't sure he wanted to know. "Please tell me you didn't sign us up for that girl and boy dance class later today?"

"No…I didn't but I did sign us up for something better. How would you like to learn how to throw knives?"

"What? You're kidding me right? Isn't that dangerous?"

"No…I am not kidding you. While I was on the phone with my mother I saw them put the signup sheet on the board. The camp self-defense instructor Bob Williams is going to be holding a class in how to properly handle and throw a knife."

Tony grinned because he agreed with his friend this lesson could only mean fun.

It was around ten the next morning all the kids who signed up for the knife throwing class met out on the target field. Bob Williams was waiting for them. He was an ex marine who was now the camp instructor for self-defense. During the summer months he would volunteer his time at the camp to teach the kids how to protect themselves. Once in a while he would demonstrate some of the things he learned while in the military.

When Bob Williams asked for two volunteers to come up first Darrell raised his hand and pulled Tony's hand up too. The man told both boys to stand next to him. He went into a long speak about the proper way to handle the knife and demonstrated the correct way to hold the knife and throw it. When he was finished he handed Darrell a knife. He had him throw the knife but it missed the target by three feet. He gave Darrell another knife but the boy still missed it. On the third try he hit the edge of the target. The instructor patted him on the back and told him he did well. It was Tony's turn next. Tony hit the target on his first try. He turned and grinned at the man. Bob handed Tony another knife, "Boy…lets see if you can do that again or it's just luck."

Tony aimed and hit the target again but it wasn't as close to the center as the first knife was. Bob grinned and patted him on the back, "Son…you are a natural." Tony grinned back at him because he never felt so proud of himself.

The next time they went to the group session and Sullivan was surprised when both Darrell and Tony started talking about the knife throwing class. The two boys were all excited and wouldn't let anyone else get a word in. Sullivan finally had to make them be quiet so Peter and Joseph could talk a little. When they were finished the doctor asked if they had anything else they would like to talk about. He was surprised when Tony raised his hand.

He nodded to him.

"I…I still have nightmares."

"Would you like to talk about them?"

"I can't…not yet…but can you tell me will they ever go away?"

"They will in time." The doctor grinned he felt this was a beginning.

As the days passed, Tony began to open up a little more about what had happened to him. It bothered Sullivan that the boy's father had left him alone for two days. He could only imagine what was going on that child's head. He thought about calling the authorities but he knew the boy still loved his father and he was afraid the boy would clam up and never say another word.

Two days later, it was Darrell's birthday. The boy was all excited because he already knew about the superman cake. He tried to act surprised when he saw it. It was huge and big enough for everyone to have a nice big piece. Tony laughed when Darrell stood up in his chair and began to thank everyone for coming to his party. Darrell finally looked down him and thanked him for being his best friend. It was shortly after that Darrell received a phone call. When he came back to the party he was very quiet. Tony suspected something was wrong when he asked his friend if he was okay. Darrell told him he just missed his mom and that was all.

It was around midnight when Tony woke up and had to use the john. He jumped off the bed and was surprised to see Darrell's bed was empty. He looked and could see the other two boys were still sleeping. He wondered where his friend was. He hurried to get dressed and headed out the door. As he stepped outside the cabin he noticed flashing lights were coming from the county emergency vehicle that was parked down by the lake. All of a sudden he got this strange feeling that something happened to Darrell and he started to run toward the flashing lights.

When he was almost there, Doctor Sullivan managed to stop him. "Tony…you need to stay here."

Tony looked at the man, "WHO? WHO IS IT?"

"Its Darrell…I am sorry son but Darrell's dead."

Tony stepped away from the doctor and watched as the emergency vehicle starting to move. The lights were on but there was no siren.

Sullivan put his hand on Tony's shoulder, "Son…why don't you come with me so we can talk."

Tony stared at the man for a few seconds, "I need to know what happened."

"Darrell took one of the row boat out into the middle of the lake and jumped into the water."

Tears started to flow down Tony's eyes, "Why? Please tell me…I need to know why he did it."

Sullivan could tell this boy was not going to stop until he found out the truth to what happen to his friend. The doctor decided that it was best he tell the child himself, "Tony, Darrell left me a note. The note stated that his uncle called him from prison to wish him a happy birthday. I don't know how that man was able to do it but I promise you I am going to find out and make someone pay this. His uncle told him he was getting out of prison on some technicality and when he does he will come and visit him. In the note, Darrell said he didn't want to live knowing his uncle could get a hold of him again. Darrell wanted me to tell his mother that he loved her and was sorry for leaving her. Tony…you must have made a big impression on Darrell because he also mentioned you in the note. He said to tell you that you were the best friend he ever had and that he was going to miss you."

_Gibbs had remained quiet. He never knew Tony had a best friend named Darrell. __He wondered what else the boy Tony was going to show him…_


	6. Chapter 6

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_As always thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review. I really appreciate them._

_I had originally planned for this chapter to be part summer camp and then lead into Tony's time at boarding school. As I began to write it I realized there was something very important the boy Tony was going to reveal to Gibbs so the boarding school will have to wait until the next chapter._

___Lastly, I wanted the boy Tony to begin to realized that he is not quite alone as he thought..._

_**To NCIS fan** - I grinned to myself when you wrote. Darryl said he and Tony were responsible for each other. Did Tony feel responsible for Darryl's death - for the fact that he couldn't save him? I bet he did - and still feels that way. When you wrote this it was almost like you were reading my mind._

_**To Kristafied** - I try my best not to get too graphic in situations like that. _

_I hope you enjoy? I am hoping to get the next chapter up by next weekend._

**CHAPTER 6**

_**Camp Songbird…**_

It was almost one in the morning when Doctor Sullivan had to carry the grieving twelve-year-old to the camp infirmary. The boy would not stop crying and finally collapse into the doctor's arms. Sullivan had now wished he had waited a little longer before he told the child about his friend's death but he knew this boy was not going to give up until he knew the truth. Once they were inside the camp infirmary, Sullivan laid the boy down on one of the beds and gave him a sedative to help him sleep. The doctor covered the boy with a blanket and left one of the lights on. He really didn't want the child to be left alone so he was going to have Jake check on him now and then. Sullivan took one last look at the boy before he closed the door.

The camp counselors were meeting in the main building to go over their plans on how they were going to handle this tragic situation. The first thing they wanted to do was to start calling all the parents to let them know that their children were safe before it hit the news. They really didn't want some poor mother and father calling them thinking it was their children that had drowned. At eight o'clock they were going to gather all the children into the mess hall and gently break the news to them. All they were going to tell the children was that their friend Darrell had taken one of the boats out on the lake and slipped and fell into the water and drowned. Sullivan made arrangements for a couple of his associates to be available when they break the news to the children. They would be there just incase they were needed.

The one thing Sullivan was a little relieved about was that he was not going to have to break the news to Darrell's mother. The police told him they would handle it. They would have their Chaplain along with them when they break the news to that poor woman.

By the time the sun started burning through the heavy mist that hovered over the lake, the children were already up and heading toward the mess hall for their morning meal. None of them were aware of the tragedy that had taken place only a few hours earlier. When Peter and Joseph started asking questions about where their bunkmates were, Jake had to lie to them. He told them both Darrell and Tony ate too much and got sick last night. They stayed over night in the infirmary.

Meanwhile at the infirmary, Tony was just starting to wake up. He had no idea where he was or how he got there. He felt strange. It took him a few minutes but he finally managed to sit up. He tried to stand up but he fell back down on the bed. The second time he tried to stand up he finally managed to stay up. He slowly moved over to the window and looked out. The camp looked deserted. He wondered where everyone was. His green eyes scanned the compound and they finally rested on the lake. He saw the rowboats and that was when it hit him. His best friend Darrell was dead and it was his entire fault. Darrell told him that they were responsible for each other. He failed his friend. Tears began to fall down his cheeks.

The emotional wounded child could not take his eyes off the rowboats. He whispered to his dead friend, "Darrell…I…I am so sorry. Please…please forgive me. You were my best friend and you didn't have to…to die alone. I…I should have been there with you. You should have let me go with you. All you had to do was ask."

Tony didn't hear the door open as he continued to stare out the window. Jake walked into the room and was surprised to see Tony awake and standing by the window. Doctor Sullivan had told him that the sedative should keep Tony out for another couple of hours. He walked up behind the boy, "Tony…are you okay…buddy?"

Tony jumped and wiped the tears out of his eyes. He ignored Jake's question and asked his own. "Where is everybody?"

"Doctor Sullivan and the counselors are breaking the news to all the kids right now."

"What…what are they telling them?"

"That Darrell decided to take one of the rowboats out to the middle of the lake last night. He accidently slipped into the water and drowned."

Tony thought to himself, _"My fault…it was my fault...I should have been with him. I could have stopped him or at least went with him. It…was…my…fault."_

Jake could tell the boy wasn't going to be able to stand up much longer. He grabbed Tony by the arm and helped him to lie back down on the bed. He covered Tony with a blanket and sat down next to him on the bed.

"Tony…would you like me to get you something to eat or drink?"

Tony just shook his head and within seconds he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Around three in the afternoon Doctor Sullivan stopped by to check on Tony. He found the boy awake.

"Tony…I just sent Jack to get you a sandwich and a glass of milk?"

"I am not hungry."

"Tony…the last time you ate was yesterday and you need to get something in your stomach or you are going to get sick."

"I am not hungry and I don't care if I get sick. When is my dad coming for me? I hate this place and I don't want to be here anymore. Please…I…want…to…go…home."

The doctor could tell the grieving boy was starting to shut down and he was going to do his best not to allow it to happen. "Tony…we have been trying to get a hold of your dad. His secretary told us that your father was with one of his business partners. They were in an area where there was no phone service. She believes it will be sometime tomorrow before he will call. When he does she will tell him to call here. Son…is there any other relative we can call?"

Tony just shook his head. He knew his dad was trying to keep this whole mess quiet and didn't want any of their family members to know what happen to him. Senior believed it would bring shame to the father and son.

"Okay…Tony…try and get some more sleep but I am going to insist that you eat something first. Jake should be back any minute and I better hear from him that you put something in that stomach of yours. Do you hear me?"

Tony looked at the doctor and nodded his head. He thought to himself,_ "I will eat whatever Jake brings me but after tonight you won't have to worry about me anymore."_

Sullivan smiled and patted Tony on his leg. "You get something inside you and then get some sleep. I will be back later to check on you and maybe we can talk a little."

For the rest of the day anytime anyone walked into the room he faked that he was sleeping. It was a little after dark when Tony decided it was time to make his move. Jake had fallen asleep in the chair. Tony quietly snuck out of the bed. He looked out the window and from the camp lights he could see only a few of the adults walking around. He peeked out the door and didn't see anyone nearby. It was time for him to leave. Once he was outside he closed the door and headed toward the dock. About halfway there he saw Doctor Sullivan and quickly hid behind the side of one of the cabins. The doctor and one of the senior counselors were heading toward the mess hall. They were talking about several of the parents have decided to come and pick up their kids the first thing in the morning. They were going to have to get the children ready before the parents get here.

Tony waited for the two adults to go inside before he continued on his way to the dock area. He jumped into one of the outer boats because he figured nobody would notice it was missing. He then rowed it out to the center of the lake.

It was dark but not too dark. The moon was out and there was some light coming from the camp. It was just enough for him to make out the small waves hitting the side of the boat. Every now and then he would hear something splashing in the water.

Tony thought about Darrell and how his friend had left a note with Doctor Sullivan so he could tell his mom that he loved her one last time. It was a good thing for Darrell to do that because he knew his friend loved his mother as much as she loved him. Tony thought about his father but he didn't think his dad would care one way or another. Maybe…just maybe by him doing this it would be a good thing for his dad. His dad would not have to worry anymore what to do with him anymore. He felt he was always in his father's way and maybe by him doing this it would free his father of ever having to worry about him again. Maybe just maybe he will see get to see his mother again.

Tony stood up and moved toward the edge of the boat. He looked down into the dark water. He wondered what Darrell had been thinking at his last moments of life. He wondered if this was going to hurt. He closed his eyes and prepared himself to jump.

"DINOZZO DON'T!"

Tony opened his eyes and looked around but didn't see anyone. He grinned nervously to himself. He must have been just imagining that someone was calling his last name. Tony closed his eyes again and prepared to jump.

"TONY…PLEASE…DON'T…JUMP."

Tony opened his eyes and looked around but again he didn't see anyone but he knew he was not imagining it. He did hear someone beg him not to take his life. He couldn't really make out the voice because it was almost a whisper, "Dar…Darrell is that you? Please answer me…"

_Gibbs was taken aback when Tony first heard him yell out. He was almost heartbroken when he saw the boy move to the edge of the boat to jump for the second time. He didn't know what else to do but try and plead with the boy not to jump. _

_He was relieved when he heard Tony call out Darrell's name. Gibbs didn't care who Tony thought he was as long as he stopped._

Tony sat down in the boat and waited for an answer but nothing came. He began to cry because he missed his friend. He hoped to join him but now believes Darrell did not want him to die. He picked up the oars and slowly row the boat back to the dock.

_As Tony headed back camp, Gibbs couldn't help but wonder if he had not been there who or what was it that stopped Tony from taking his life…_


	7. Chapter 7

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_As always thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review my story. I really appreciate it._

_Okay we know Cailean wants__ Gibbs to just sit back and let Tony show him his past but Gibbs is finding it very hard to do with Senior around… _

**CHAPTER 7**

_**Saying Goodbye to Camp Songbird…**_

Tony managed to sneak back into the infirmary and lay down in the bed without anyone seeing him. He was relieved to see that Jake was still sound asleep. He felt sorry for the older boy because the way he was sleeping in the chair it looked like it could be pretty uncomfortable.

As the boy Tony lay in the bed waiting for sleep to overtake him, he couldn't help but think about the voice he heard on the lake. He was still wondering if it was his friend trying to contact him or just his imagination? Just as his eyes were starting to close he thought about his dad and how much he loved and missed him. Ever since his mom died he felt he lost both of his parents. His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was that he wondered if his father loved him anymore…

_Gibbs felt so sorry for the boy and wished there was something he could do to help him. _

Around noontime the next day, Senior finally called. It was Sullivan who happened to pick up the phone. The doctor explained to Tony's father what had happened at the camp and that his son needed him. Senior felt he had no other choice in the matter so he told the doctor the earliest he could come would be tomorrow morning. Right now he was in the middle of a business deal that he couldn't get away from. Sullivan hung up and headed to the infirmary to give Tony the news.

The doctor found Tony sitting on the steps just outside of the infirmary. The boy looked as if he was just waiting for someone. The doctor sat down next to Tony and told him that his dad would be here tomorrow. Tony grinned because he now knew his dad was finally coming to get him.

The next morning, Jake offered to go to Cabin 4-E and get Tony's things for him but the boy insisted that he wanted to do by himself. It took all his courage to walk into the cabin and see his friend's empty bed. The bed had been left the way Darrell had left it. It looked like it was just waiting for him to return. Peter and Joseph were standing next to it. They had wanted to say goodbye to their friend. When they were finished the boys hugged each other. Tony grabbed his things and headed out the door before anyone saw him crying.

Tony headed to the main building to wait. He put his stuff down on the floor and sat on one of the porch swings and stared at the road. He was so focused watching the road he didn't notice he now had company.

"Hey…Tony?"

The boy jumped.

Jake was standing next to him holding a box, "Sorry Tony…I didn't mean to scare you. Do you mind if I sit down?"

Tony shook his head and moved over so he could give the older boy some room to sit down.

Jake smiled as sat down on the swing. The box he had been carrying he sat down next to him so Tony couldn't see what was inside just yet, "I see you're waiting for your dad? I bet you are all excited about finally going home?"

Tony just nodded and turned back to watching the road. He didn't want to miss seeing his dad's car.

"Tony…I…I am so sorry about what happened to Darrell. Sometimes…things like this happen."

Tony turned and looked at the older boy and asked, "Jake…do you know why his uncle did that to him? Aren't uncles…family and suppose to help keep the family safe?"

The older boy looked at the boy, "Tony…I don't have any answers why…why some people do the things they do but I do know the pain both you and Darrell experience."

"Someone hurt you too?"

"Yes…"

"D…did your pain ever go away?"

"Not completely…but it will get less and less as time goes by. Tony, I have been debating on telling you something about me. I…once…tried…to do what Darrell did."

Tony looked surprised, "You tried to k…kill yourself?"

Jake nodded, "It was shortly after it happened…and I was too ashamed to tell my parents. For…two weeks I would walk to the middle of this bridge that was not too far from my house and look over the rail. The bridge was pretty high and the water below was very swift and cold. Each day I would try to get up the courage to jump and each day I would come up with an excuse not to. One day, I decided it was time. I walked to the middle of the bridge and started to lift my leg up on the rail when I heard a dog barking. I turned and watched as a man and his dog walked toward me. It turned out to be Doctor Sullivan. He could tell there was something wrong. We talked for a long time. He helped me to tell my parents about what had happened to me. Doctor Sullivan is a good man. He saved my life. Once I got better he got me a job here. This year I am going to college and I want to be a Child Psychologist someday so I can help other kids like us."

"It's good you have someone like him."

Jake handed him a piece of paper, "Tony…I am…not sure what kind of relationship you have with your dad but if you ever need to talk you can always call me…okay?"

Tony just nodded as he took the paper.

Jake smiled, "Tony…I have something for you before you leave."

Tony turned and looked at the older boy with suspicion. Jake reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out what looked like photos.

Jake smiled, "Part of my job here is to take photos of all the kids as they have fun. We take the pictures and get them developed and give them to the parents when they come to pick up their kids. It's sort of a way to advertise our place and I thought it might be better to give these to you instead of your dad. These photos have both you and Darrell in them. I did make an extra set for Darrell's mom."

Tony slowly reached for the pictures as if he was afraid they were going to burn him. He grinned the moment he saw Darrell and himself. One of them was of Darrell and him clogging. Darrell must have realized Jake was taking the picture of them because his friend had secretly held up two fingers behind his head and he never knew it. Tony laughed. The second photo was of them standing on each side of Bob Williams. The older man had two fingers up behind each of the boys' heads, which made Tony laugh even louder. The last one was of Darrell and him playing on the dock. He remembered Darrell pushing him off the dock. He smiled with tears in his eyes as he looked up at Jake and said, "Thanks."

Jake grinned as he picked up that box he was guarding and handed it to Tony, "Yesterday while you were asleep Darrell's mother came by to pick up his things and talk a little with Doctor Sullivan and some of the staff. She mentioned every time her son would call her he would mention talk about his new best friend and all the fun they were having. She couldn't stay long but she wanted me to give you this it belonged to Darrell. She said it was his pride and joy."

Tony sat the box onto his lap and began to open it. Inside was a basketball autographed by Larry Bird. Tony smiled because he remembered Darrell mentioning something to him that one day he was going to be a basketball player for the Boston Celtics. Larry Bird was his hero.

"Junior…"

Tony looked up and smiled that hundredth watt that he only reserved for his dad. He quickly put the box down and ran to Senior and hugged him. "Dad…you came."

The older man smiled as he stepped back to get a good look at his son, "Junior…what did you think I wasn't going to come get you?" Senior didn't wait for an answer but looked on the porch at Tony's bag. "Good you got your stuff already packed. Put them in the car. I need to see your Doctor Sullivan for a few minutes. You stay here and I will be right back."

Jake stood up and took a step forward, "Excuse me, Mister DiNozzo…Doctor Sullivan wanted me to bring you to his office when you get here. The older boy turned back and smiled at the boy, "Tony, I will be right back so we can say our goodbyes."

Tony was sitting on the porch steps talking with Jake when Senior walked out of the building carrying a big manila envelope. He didn't look very happy. He told Tony to get into the car while he got into the drivers seat. He tossed the envelope into the back seat. He looked at his son with sadness and then started the car and drove off.

Once they were on their way, Senior looked at his son for a second and then back to the road. "Junior…I am sorry about what happened to your friend…Darrell. I know it must have been hard on you? Doctor Sullivan told me he…is worried about you because you took it so hard. Son…are you okay?"

Tony looked at his father. "I'm okay dad. I just want to go home."

Senior immediately looked a little uncomfortable when his son mentioned the word home, "Oh…about…that Junior, I have a big surprise for you. You remember Mary don't you? She was the woman I introduced you to her at my birthday party last month. Well…we have been seeing each other for a little while now. We decided to get married this coming weekend. We are going to the Caribbean Islands for our honeymoon. So, I need you to stay with Uncle Vincenzo until we get back from our honeymoon in three weeks."

Tony just stared at his father. He was both angry and hurt. He had expected his dad to do something like this but he was hoping just for once he was wrong. "But…but Dad…I…I will be back in boarding school when you get back from your honeymoon. You said you would take me fishing before I go back to school this time."

Senior continued to stare at the road ahead, "Sorry…Junior I can't just stop the wedding because my son wants to go fishing. Why don't you ask Uncle Vincenzo to take you? I am sure he would. He doesn't live that far from the ocean."

"I don't want to go with him. I want it to be just you and me. Please Dad…"

"Junior…I am sorry but I can't disappoint Mary. She is really looking forward to this weekend and our honeymoon. I can't break her heart for a fishing trip. I'll tell you what…the next time we both have same time off I will take you fishing I promise. How does that sound?"

Tony whispered, "Like shit."

Senior wasn't sure if he heard his son right because he spoke so low, "Junior…what did you say?"

Tony put his hands over his mouth. He couldn't believe what he had just said to his dad. He had heard that voice again in his head say those words and he just repeated them. He was relieved a little when his dad asked him to repeat it, "I just said it sounds great…Dad."

Senior smiled as he continued to drive down the road…

_Gibbs found it__ hard to just sit back and listen to the conversation between the father and son. Gibbs couldn't understand how that bastard who calls himself a father couldn't take his son fishing for one freaking day. He was so angry it burst out before he realized his had said it. He couldn't believe the boy Tony had heard him and repeat what he had said. He felt a little guilty because he almost got the boy into trouble._

_Gibbs could never understand how someone can have a child and neglect them so badly. When he was a boy, he believed he had the greatest dad on earth. During the summer months his dad would close the store early and take him fishing on Sunday. Sometimes his mom would come along with them. It was his favorite memory growing up in Stillwater. _

_It was after his mom's death that things started to get sour between him and his dad. Most of it was because they were both bullheaded and neither one would give in. _

_**Boarding Schools….**_

It has been only two weeks since Tony started back to school and he was already in trouble. His English teacher had given the class homework assignment to write about their summer vacation and then they were going to have to read it in front of the class. Tony didn't want to tell anyone the truth about what happened so he made up this ridiculous vacation and had the class laughing. The teacher became angry and sent him to the headmaster. Tony really didn't care anymore. He enjoyed making the kids laugh. For a few minutes he almost forgot all his pain…


	8. Chapter 8

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_As always thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review my story. I really do appreciate it. _

_I love the reviews because there are so many questions that need to be answered. I will tell you this some will be answer as the story progresses, some will be answered near the end of the story and some I will just leave to your imagination. I hope you enjoy._

_To NCIS fan: Thank you and I mean this in a good way for educating me on what it is called for what Senior is doing to his son. I knew there was a name for it but I wasn't sure what it was called. (In psychology this is called intermittent reinforcement)_

_It this chapter Tony is still in boarding school and getting into all kinds of trouble. _

**CHAPTER 8**

_**Headmaster Cussons….**_

For the last half an hour, Tony sat nervously outside the headmaster's office. He kept thinking about that old black and white movie where the nun hit this boy with a ruler on his knuckles to punish him for getting into trouble. He kept looking at his knuckles and hoped they were not going to be black and blue tomorrow. He really didn't mean to make the teacher mad but ever since he started back to school he kept hearing some of the boys bragging about what a great summer they had with their families. He just wanted to fit in. So, he decided to make up this fun story to tell the class. The kids in the class laughed with him and he had fun telling the story until the teacher sent him to the headmaster's office and now here he was just sitting and waiting…

The door finally opened and Headmaster Cussons poked his head out, "Mister DiNozzo…in my office now."

Tony stood up and moved quickly into the room. The headmaster pointed to the chair and Tony sat down in it.

Cussons moved behind his desk and sat down. He opened a folder and wrote something in it and then finally closed the folder and looked at the boy, "Anthony can you tell me why you felt it necessary to disrupt your English class like you did?"

Tony thought for a second about making up a story but he could tell this man would see right through any lies he told so he decided to tell him the truth, "Sir…I…I really didn't have anything to write about so I made it up."

"Anthony…can you tell me what made you decide to tell the class that your uncle was Larry Bird and he took you to see and play with the Harlem Globetrotters while you were on your summer vacation?"

Tony chewed on his lower lip before he started talking. "Sir…I know when my d…dad enrolled me in this school he give you both my school and med…medical records. I know you know why I have to see a shrink twice a month. I also know you know what happened while I was at summer camp this year. These are things I did not wish or want anyone to know about. I…I am also pretty sure it is something my teacher and my classmates would not want to hear about either. I really didn't have anything else to write about so I decided to make it up. Sir…everyone…else in my class had a fun summer with their families and I just wanted to fit in. I really didn't mean to upset Mister Withers or disrupt the class…as I said before I just wanted to fit in."

_Gibbs smiled as he whispered to the boy, "You tell-em DiNozzo."_

Cussons did know all about this boy's history and decided to give him a break, "Anthony…I am truly sorry for what happen to you…and I know from reading your school records you were a model student and this is the first time you were ever in any trouble. So, I am only going to give you just a verbal warning but don't make me regret it. Because the next time you disrupt a class I will have to call your father. Do I make myself clear?"

Tony just nodded.

"Tony…a nod will not do for me. I want to hear your answer."

"Yes Sir…I understand. I am not to be disruptive in any of my classes or you will call my dad."

Cussons wrote the boy an excuse note and sent him to his next class.

The older man smiled as the boy practically ran out of his office. Cussons stood up and walked over to the window and watched as the boy ran across the courtyard. He hoped he wasn't making a mistake by not punishing this child…

_Gibbs grinned because he remembered several times he had been sent to the principal's office for misbehaving in class. He was surprised to find out that this was the very first time DiNozzo ever got into trouble in school. He always believed his SFA came out of the womb in trouble. _

The second time Tony was sent to the headmaster's office he was not alone. Apparently, he and his roommate Steve White decided to sneak off the school grounds to get some pizza. They were caught when they tried to climb back over the fence. This was a very serious matter. Not only did they disobey the rules but also they could have put themselves in danger.

The headmaster called both boys' parents and made them aware of what their sons did and what their punishments were going to be. White's parents and Tony's father agreed the two boys should be punished and they would leave it up to the headmaster to decide what their fate would be.

Cussons decided it was best to separate these two boys before they get themselves into even more trouble. He let them both know they can no longer share a room together. This afternoon DiNozzo would be assigned to a new room. Starting today, they both would be confined to their rooms for two weeks. They would only be allowed to leave their rooms to go to the cafeteria, classes and to study in the library. No television or outdoor activity. Lastly, to be fair it was going to be Steve's classes that were going to be rescheduled so they do not share any classes together. He did tell them when the two weeks was up they could hang around after classes as long as they behave themselves.

After the meeting, Tony had to stay a little longer so he could get his new room assignment. As soon as he got the information he had to start moving. His new room was right next to the houseparent. Tony was especially not happy when he walked in and found out his new roommate was Matthew Turner. The boy was two years younger than him. He was very bright and had managed to skip a couple of grades. He was also known as the school's biggest nerd and biggest snitch.

Tony had to make several trips to move all his stuff into his new room. The last thing he moved was Darrell's basketball signed by Larry Bird. He was very careful with it and placed it on the shelf just above his bureau so he could see it from where he laid on the bed. He tried to tell Matthew about it but the boy asked him to be quiet so he could study.

Tony sat down on the bed and looked around the room. He was trying to figure out what he was going to do for the next two weeks. He was already bored and started to move around the room. Anytime Tony walked near the door Matthew would remind him he couldn't leave the room or he would have to report him to the houseparent. If Tony picked up his regular basketball and tried to bounce it, the boy would remind him of the rules about bouncing a ball in the room and if he continued he would have to report him. Tony sat back down on his bed and put the ball on his lap. He knew these next two weeks were going to be a living hell and there was nothing he could do about it. He decided he was going to do his best to keep out of trouble.

Time passed slowly for him but the two-weeks house restrictions were finally up. After class Tony grabbed his basketball and headed toward the school basketball court to practice shooting hoops. He was also hoping to see his friend. When he arrived he found Steve waiting for him. The two boys played one on one for the next couple of hours. Both boys were hoping if they got good enough they could join the school's basketball team this coming fall.

It was a few weeks later when Tony's math teacher noticed him squinting his eyes when he tried to read what was up on the board. Tony was sent to the school's optometrist. He told Tony he was going to have to wear glasses for a while. Tony tried to talk the specialist out of them but he told Tony if he didn't wear them his eyes were going to get worst. Tony had no choice in the matter…

_**The Flag Pole Incident…**_

A few weeks later, Tony was walking past the school gym and heading toward the outdoor basketball court to get a little practice in. Steve had to stay after class and would not be joining him. Tony stopped in his tracks when he overheard his roommate Matthew arguing with three eighth graders. No matter how much Tony dislike the younger boy he wasn't going to let these bullies hurt him.

Tony walked between the boys and stood in front of Matthew. "Leave him alone. You guys are a lot bigger than he is."

John Smith who was the leader of the boys walked up and stood just in front of Tony. Both boys were about the same height and build. John was just a year older.

"Listen four eyes, you better stay out of this or you are going to be sorry."

Tony stood his ground and would not move. This boy maybe a year older than him but he wasn't going to back down. He turned and looked at Matthew and told him to leave but the smaller boy stood his ground also. "No…I am not leaving you here. If they want a fight they are going to have to fight both of us." Tony almost wanted to grin.

John sucker punched Tony and he fell to the ground. While he was trying to catch his breath, John jumped on top of him and continued to hit him. Matthew jumped on the older boy's back and tried to pull him off Tony. While one eighth grader grabbed Matthew the other grabbed John and pulled him off Tony before he killed him. His friend held him until he calmed down. John finally pushed his friend out of the way and walked over to the boy still lying down on the ground.

Tony was trying to catch his breath.

John stood over Tony and smiled, "Don't say I didn't warn you DiNozzo."

John reached down and unfastened Tony's pants and pulled them off of him and throws them as far away as he could. While the boy still lay helpless on the ground and John removed Tony's underwear. He held them up and waved them in the air like they were some kind of trophy. He signaled his friend to release the smaller boy. Before John and his friend left he warned them not to say anything to anyone.

Matthew removed his school jacket and used it to cover the injured boy. He left to retrieve Tony's pants. When he returned he helped Tony to sit up and helped him with his pants, "Tony…I am sorry you got hurt because of me."

Matthew helped Tony to stand up. Tony leans on Matthew all the way back their dorm. Both Tony and Matthew stopped when they saw some kids standing in the courtyard staring up at something. Tony looked up and wanted to cry. There in front of everyone was his underwear hanging at half-mast on the flagpole…


	9. Chapter 9

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_As always thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review my story. I really do appreciate it. _

_It this chapter Tony is still in boarding school and trying to fit in while Gibbs is trying his best to be just an observer. _

_To the readers: I do know how this story is going to end but I am trying to figure out how much more does Gibbs need to learn about his SFA. I have quite a few ideas for Tony but I don't want to overkill the story either… _

**CHAPTER 9**

Word had spread throughout the dorm that there was a pair of underwear hanging on the flagpole outside. As Tony and Matthew headed toward their room, several students ran past them so they could see what was going on outside. They were in such a hurry that they didn't notice the injured boy holding his stomach or the nerd slowly walking through the halls. Tony was relieved to make it to his room without anyone stopping to ask questions about what happened to him. Matthew helped Tony to sit down on the bed. Tony slowly unbuttoned his shirt to look at the damage. He saw several small bruises starting to form just above his belly button.

Matthew didn't like what he saw and started to head toward the door, "Tony…I'm going to get the houseparent Mr. Morrison."

Tony grabbed his roommate's arm before he could take another step. He didn't want anyone to know anything about what happen and that included Mr. Morrison. "NO! Matthew…please you can't tell him."

"Tony…both my parents are physicians. I hung around them long enough to know those injuries could be serious. You could be bleeding inside."

"No…I…will be fine. I just think I am going to be sore for a few days. "

"Tony…you should…"

Tony cut him off, "Matthew…for once…please don't be a snitch. I don't want anyone to know…that those are my underwear hanging up on that flagpole. It would be embarrassing."

Matthew would not give up, "Tony…I really think you should see a doctor."

Tony decided to try something a little different because his pleading wasn't really working on his roommate. He decided to give Matthew the same hundred-watt smile that he normally gives his dad when he is trying to get him to buy him something, "Matthew…Matt…please…I promise if it bothers me too much I will go see the school nurse myself."

Matthew stared at his roommate for a few seconds and then started to subconsciously chew the bottom of his lip while he was trying to decide what to do. He had never been in this predicament before. He always liked being a loner and not having to worry about anyone. Now that his roommate saved him from the bullies he felt it was his responsibility to help him anyway he can. He knew he should report this to their houseparent but also felt he should do as his roommate asked since Tony was only in this mess because of him.

Both boys jumped a little when the door flew open, "Tony…did you see the…." Steve stopped in his tracks when he spotted the bruises on his friend's stomach. Tony froze and didn't say a word. Steve closed the door and walked over to where Tony was sitting. Steve opened his friend's shirt a little more so he could get a better look, "Holy shit…Tony what happened to you?"

Tony remained quiet while Matthew did all the talking, "It was John and his friends…they were picking on me and Tony came to my rescue. John sucker punched him. While Tony was on the ground trying to catch his breath John kept hitting him. He took Tony's underwear and hung them on that flagpole. I tried to stop John but his friends held me back."

Steve blew up, "That bastard…I am going to kick John's ass when I see him."

Tony finally spoke, "Steve…please don't say or do anything. If you do…they will find out that those are my underwear hanging on that flagpole. I will become the butt of everyone's joke."

"Tony…you can't let John get away with this. He might try it again and besides…how do you know John's not telling everyone right now about the underwear?"

Matthew shook his head, "I can tell you both this…John won't say a word about the underwear because if he did he could get expelled from school. So…as long as we keep this among ourselves nobody will be the wiser."

"How do you know that?"

Matthew had a mischievous grin, "Let's just say this is not my first encounter with John and his goons and Headmaster Cussons."

Tony let out a sigh of relief. He was glad to know he wasn't going to have to worry about John telling anyone. Now all he has to do is concentrate on getting better. It was a really good thing this had happened on a Friday because it gave him the weekend to heal.

Saturday morning, Tony woke up hurting. He was hurting so bad that Matthew had to help him to the bathroom. Steve came early to help his friend if needed. The three boys waited until they knew everyone had left breakfast before they helped Tony down the hall. When they entered the cafeteria Tony walked over and sat down at one of the empty tables while Steve and Matthew went and got them and Tony something to eat.

For the next week both Steve and Matthew did everything they could to make it easy on their injured friend. If someone asked them why they were carrying Tony's books or bag, they would just joke that they lost a bet with him. The three boys managed to stay as far away as they could from Smith and friends.

When the week was finally over Tony was well enough to start playing a little one on one with his friend Steve. This time when they played they had an audience of one. Matthew decided to keep them company. He sat on a bench and read a book while his two friends were playing basketball. Sometimes he would stop reading and watch them play.

Two days later, John and four of his friends decided to show up at the outdoor basketball courts where Tony and Steve were playing one on one. Two of the courts were empty but John and his friends wanted to use the court Tony and Steve were using. When the two boys continued to play John knocked the ball out of Steve's hand. He and his friends started laughing. Steve tried to move closer to the bigger boy but Tony pulled him back.

"Steve don't...he is just trying to provoke us into a fight and we could get into trouble. You remember what the headmaster told us."

Matthew put his book down and moved closer to stand with his friends. If there was going to be a fight he was not going to be left out.

John grinned, "What's the matter DiNozzo afraid to fight us?"

Tony didn't say a word.

John turned back to his friends and laughed, "See…I told you DiNozzo was a coward."

When John turned back to look at Tony, he immediately stopped smiling because he could tell something had changed in the boy's posture. The green eyes now looked almost bluish to him and there was no fear in them. If eyes could kill he would be dead. John watched as Tony took a couple of steps forward until his face was within inches of John's face. Tony didn't say a word. The two boys continue to stare at each other until John broke the stare. John tried to hit Tony but the boy grabbed him in a wristlock and twisted his wrist. John fell to his knees and yelled out in pain. His friends moved closer but Tony yelled to them that if they come any nearer he was going to break John's wrist. The boys stopped.

Tony turned his attention back to the kneeling boy; "You and your friends will leave us alone or I swear I will break your wrist the next time? Do I make myself clear?" The boy nodded.

Tony released John's wrist and stepped back. John held his wrist with his other hand and he stood up. The two boys stared at each other for a few seconds longer. John finally turned and told his friends, "Let's go...thanks to DiNozzo I can't play basketball right now anyway."

Tony, Steve and Matthew watched as the other boys headed back toward the dorms.

Steve hit Tony on the back, "Tony that was so cool. Where did you learn that wrist trick? You have to teach me."

Tony looked at his friend like he was seeing him for the first time. "What…what are you taking about?"

Steve grinned, "I am talking about what you just did to John. You are going to have to show me how you did that."

Tony continued to look puzzled he had no clue what his friend was talking about. He only remembers looking at John and next thing he knew John was walking away. What had happened between that he couldn't remember?

Steve turned to the other boy, "Matt…didn't you think what Tony did was just too cool?"

_Gibbs didn't care what Cailean thinks about him interfering this time…he was not going to sit back and let these three friends get beat up when he had the knowledge and the ability to stop the confrontation peacefully without anyone really getting hurt. Gibbs expected to see the translucent Tony show up but he was surprised when he didn't. The ex-marine wondered what was going to happen next…_

It was just a week before Thanksgiving and most of the kids had their bags all packed and waiting downstairs for their parent to pick them up. Tony was sitting with Steve and Matthew when the houseparent told Tony the headmaster wanted to see him. Tony wondered what he had done wrong. He looked at his two friends and then left.

Ten minutes later, Tony came back looking pretty upset.

Matthew and Steve watched as Tony picked up his things. His eyes were starting to water. He smiled at his two friends. "I hope you both have a great Thanksgiving."

"Tony what's wrong?"

"My dad called late last night…he and my stepmom are stuck in Aspen. He said the weather is real bad. The airport is cancelling all flights. So…I have to stay here for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Lucky me..."

Steve looked at Matthew and then back to his friend, "Tony…I'm sorry. I know how much you were looking forward to seeing your dad."

Tony looked at both of his friends, "There is nothing to be sorry about. It is what it is besides I am use to it. You guys have a great Thanksgiving. I will see you both when you come back."

Tony picked up his bag and headed back up stairs as quickly as he could. Tears started flowing down his cheeks just as soon as he slammed the door behind him. He flung his bag onto his bed. He was both angry and hurt. He felt his dad had done it to him again. This time his dad didn't even have the guts to call him. Instead he calls the headmaster late last night to make arrangements for him to stay at the school during the holiday and also to break the news to him that he was coming. Why does he keep thinking and hoping his dad really care about him?

A half an hour later, Tony found himself sitting on edge of the window watching as each boy ran to their parent's car as they arrived. He kept looking for his two friends. He wanted to make sure he waved goodbye to them at least.

Tony was so busy concentrating on what was going on outside that he didn't hear the door open. He almost jumped when he heard, "Tony…what are you looking at."

Tony turned and saw both his friends Steve and Matthew. "What are you two doing here? I thought you would have been gone by now."

"Our parents were here but they left. We both decided to stay and our parents were okay with it."

Tony felt bad that they would give up their holiday with their family to spend it with him. "I can't ask you to do that for me."

"You're not…we want to do it and besides our parents are already gone. It's too late to call them back if we wanted to."

"What about the school? Don't you have to clear it with the headmaster?"

Steve smiled, "Tony…don't worry. It's already taken care of. Tony…listen…we are the three Musketeers how can we not be together? All for one, one for all"

Tony smiled because he had the best friends in the world.

_Gibbs always knew Senior was a neglectful father but he never realized how bad of a father he was to his SFA. To Gibbs a child was a gift. A gift you should love and cherish because you never know how long they will be with you. _

_**Rockettes, Two Jocks and One Nerd…**_

_The next thing Gibbs knew he was standing outside Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York City. He wondered what he was going to learn here? To him the boys now looked a couple of years older. It was Christmas Eve and they were standing and waiting for the line to start moving again. _

Steve stepped out of the line so he could get a better look at how much longer it was going to be, "AH...we still have a few minutes more. I'm freaking freezing here."

"Steve…stop your bitching."

"Shut up Matt."

Tony wasn't paying any attention to his two friends. All he could think about was seeing those beautiful skimpy women. The fifteen-year-old boy's hormones were starting to kick in. He was so glad Matt's parents had invited him to stay with them this holiday. If they hadn't he would have to stay at the school again. His dad had gone through a difficult divorce and was now planning to remarry again on Christmas Day in the Bahamas. Senior didn't think it was appropriate to bring a fifteen-year-old boy with him and his future wife…

_As the line began to move it finally dawned on Gibbs what was supposed to happen here. He remembered Tony once bragging to the team that he had lost his virginity to a Rockette dancer when he was just fifteen years old. Gibbs hoped and prayed his SFA was only bragging. If not, Cailean better get him the hell out of here…_


	10. Chapter 10

**To Walk In My Shoes**

_As always thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review my story. I really do appreciate it. _

_To NCIS fan - I had originally wrote in one of the chapters that Senior had threatened to disown his son but I decided at the last moment to take it out. I figured that some of the stuff Tony told his teammate was just a fabrication to make them have a good laugh. After all Tony is known as the class clown._

_It the first part of this chapter you are going to find out what happen when Tony meets a Rockette. I was really debating on whether to write this one or not. I thought this might be one of those things you just leave up to everyone's imagination but then I got thinking it might be a lot of fun do it. So…here is my version of how Tony may or may not have lost his virginity. I hope you like?_

**CHAPTER 10**

Tony was thrilled because he and his friends had front row seats and could see everything that was going on from where they were seated. The fifteen-year-old boy had never seen so many beautiful women in all his life. When the show was near its end, the Rocketts came out and did their high kick routine in a chorus line. Tony's hormones went into overdrive when he thought he saw one of the women wink at him. Tony applauded so hard his hands hurt.

As Steve and Matt started to get up to leave Tony stopped them. He told them he was going to try to sneak backstage. He wanted to meet the woman who winked at him. Both of his friends started laughing and telling him that she probably had something in her eye. Tony shook his head because he knew deep down inside she winked at him because she liked him as much as he liked her. He told them they could leave but he wasn't going anywhere until he meets her. Tony stood up and headed toward the backstage entrance with his two friends in tow.

Just as Tony and his friends entered the backstage area, a very big man stepped in front of them, "Sorry boys, but I can't let you come back here unless you have some backstage passes or you know somebody who works here."

Tony felt his heart drop down to his stomach. He wanted so badly to meet this woman so he decided to try to plead with this man to let him in, "But…sir I just want to meet the..."

"Joe…it's okay we invited them." As soon as the man heard the voice he grinned and stepped back.

All three boys had a silly goofy grin on their faces as they saw three of the most beautiful women dressed in skimpy green elf costumes walking toward them. Tony smiled because the woman who spoke was the same woman who had winked at him. She looked at Tony and said in her sexiest voice, "My name is Gail and this is Mary and Heidi."

Tony introduced then himself and his friends.

She smiled, "Come on boys and follow us…we got a few minutes before our next show. We can take you on one of our special tours." She glanced at the other woman and winked.

Tony turned and gave his two friends that look like I told you so. He then turned and ran to catch up with the women.

When the special tour was over Gail invited Tony back to her dressing room for very private meeting. Tony looked at his friends and grinned. He couldn't believe this was really happening to him. A woman like her wanted him.

Once Tony and Gail were inside the dressing room, the Rockette slowly shut the door. It was at that moment when he heard the door lock click that the boy started to get a little nervous. What was he going to do if she wanted to have sex with him? He had never been with a girl before and now he was here standing in this woman's dressing room. He realized he was not ready for this.

Gail walked over to one of the mirrors and began adding more bright red lipstick to her lips. She brushed her hair back a little with her fingers. It won't to be long before her next performance and she needed to get this over with. She continued to look in the mirror as she said, "So…Tony I heard what you told your two friends back there."

Tony was caught off guard. He now looked like a deer caught in headlights, "W…what ma'am? What…what did I say?"

She grinned when she saw the boy's reaction to what she just accused him of. She knew he couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen. "I heard you tell them that I was hot for your body."

Tony's eyes were huge, "Ma'am I…I didn't really mean anything by it. I…I…just…" Tony wanted to run out of the room but he was too in shock to move.

She turned and walked slowly toward him. Tony backed up against the wall and didn't know what else to do. She moved closer so she was only inches from his face. She smiled, "Relax Tony…I just want to give you something to tell your friends. She kissed him on the cheek. She grins and steps back to look at her work. Tony touches his cheek and looks into the mirror. He smiles and thanked her when he sees the lipstick. As he starts to head for the door she tells him to look her up in ten years.

As soon as Tony, Steve and Matt get outside the building Tony tells his two best friends that he was no longer a virgin. He was now a man and it felt so great. He also warned his two friends not to tell anyone because he didn't want Gail to get in trouble. Both Steve and Matt patted Tony on the back and told him he was their hero…

_Gibbs smiled and whispered to the boy Tony that his secret will always be safe with him. Just as he whispered he found himself in the boarding school's auditorium and it was crowded with students and their families. Gibbs saw Tony with his two friends while Senior was talking with Cussons. _

Today…Tony, Steve and Matthew were graduating and in a few months they would be heading off to different colleges. Tony was pretty upset about it and he did not want anyone to know. Both Steve and Matt was the closest thing to Tony having brothers. He hated to say it but the two boys were more family than his own father was to him.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Headmaster Cussons greeted everyone and introduced the staff and talked about his students and their future. When he was finished he introduced several guest speakers. After the guest speakers took their turns talking it was now the class valedictorian time turn. This year that honor fell to Matt. For few weeks he had been working on his speech in secret. He didn't want his two friends to know what his speech was going to be about. He wanted it to be a surprise. The first half of the speech, Matt thanked his parents, his teachers and Mister Cussons for helping to get him where he is today. He talked about the future and how this class might change the world. The last part of the speech was about friendship and brotherhood. Matt told the class when he had first come to the school he liked being a loner but then he met two boys who helped to change his thinking. He now knew loners do not grow they just stay in their little world. When you share your world with others you expand your world to include their world and you can grow with them as they grow with you. He looked at both Tony and Steve and thanked them for being his friends and helping him to grow into who he is today.

While Tony listened to his friend's speech he couldn't help but look around the room. He spotted his friend Jake. Jake had brought his wife and his little boy Darrell to Tony's graduation. Tony had not seen Jake in a few years but had always stayed in contact with him by phone. The last time he talked to Jake he invited him to his graduation and Jake told him he wouldn't miss it for the world.

Next, Tony looked at his dad. At one point Senior made eye contact with him and winked. Tony grinned back at him. In the back of Tony's mind he felt a little guilty because he always believed that his dad was going to find some excuse not to come but now here his dad was. Senior was waiting like the rest of the parents for his son to graduate. Tony was never so proud of dad at the moment.

When it finally came time for the diplomas to be handed out Tony, Mathew & Steve stood proudly in line waiting for their names to be called. Tony's name was first. He walked onto the stage and grinned as he heard the applauding. He could hear his friends Steve, Matthew and even Jake whistling and yelling out his name.

Tony grinned as he was handed his diploma and shook Headmaster Cussons' hand. Tony turned and looked into the audience so he could see his dad's face. The smile immediately disappeared when he saw the seat was empty. The last time he looked his dad was seating next to the Whites. He looked through the audience and couldn't find his dad.

Cussons saw the change in the boy's face and looked in the direction the boy was looking. It didn't surprise him that the boy's father wasn't there. Earlier DiNozzo had asked him where the infirmary was. He mentioned something about jet lag and not feeling well. He thought the father would have at least waited until his son received his diploma before he took off.

The headmaster turned his attention back to the boy, "Anthony…"

Tony looked at him.

Cussons felt he needed to say something to let this boy know he wasn't alone. "Son…I am so proud of you. I know you have come a long way from when I first met you and I know you will make me proud at Ohio State."

That beautiful grin Tony only reserved on special occasions showed up. "Sir, I promise I will do my best not to disappoint you."

"Anthony I know you will…now how about getting off the stage so I can congratulate the rest of my students. We don't want Steve and Matthew getting too impatient now do we?"

Tony grinned and headed off the stage so he could get to his seat. He wanted to be there to root for his two best friends when they receive their diplomas. He was going to make sure they heard his voice above all the others.

When the ceremony was finally over Tony and his friends walked around and congratulated all the members of their class and saying their goodbyes to their teachers. When they were finished they headed to where Jake and their parents were waiting. Jake grabbed Tony and hugged him. He and his family had to leave so he wished Tony the best and to call him sometimes. After Jake left, Tony asked where his father was. Steve's father told him that his father mentioned something about not feeling well and heading to the infirmary. Tony became worried and decided to go look for his father to make sure he was okay. Steve and Matt wanted to come with him but he told them to stay with their parents. He wanted to do this on his own.

When Tony arrived at the infirmary there was nobody around. Tony felt so ashamed for thinking the worst about his dad. What if his dad was really sick and had to go to the emergency room? What if dad was dying and he selfishly thought the worst of his dad because he was not there to watch him receive his stupid diploma? At that moment he was so angry with himself for thinking such bad things about his dad. He needed to find out what happened. As he headed toward the door he heard a noise coming from the closet. He turned and headed toward it. As he got closer he could hear voices and noises. Whoever they were they were whispering. It look him a second to recognize one of the voices. It was his dad. He opened the door just enough to peek in. He saw his father and the school nurse were having sex. He slammed the door and ran out. He didn't care if his father heard him or not. He needed to get as far away as possible.

An hour later, both Steve and Matt found Tony sitting in their favorite basketball court. They could tell by the way Tony looked that he had be crying. They didn't have to ask way because they already knew it had to be something to do with Tony's father. They sat quietly with their friend and waiting to see if he wanted to talk about it or not. When Tony said nothing they told their hurt friend it was time for them to leave.

For their graduation gift the boys' parents had chipped in and rented a summer-house in Miami for them. None of the parents were worried about the boys being alone and getting into trouble because Matt's parents had rented another summerhouse not too far from them. This way someone could at least keep an eye on boys and make sure their sons stay out of trouble…

_Gibbs couldn't get over how much of an ass Tony's father was. No matter how much Gibbs and his father argued when he was a boy, Jack was always there for the most important events in his life. His dad was there for his graduation and after the ceremony his dad had a big family get together so he brag about how proud he was of his son…_


	11. Chapter 11

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_As always thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review my story. I really do appreciate it. _

_**What is Tony's date of birth?**__ – I am telling you this just incase someone starts doing the math. I know from previous stories I have written or stories I have read that some reviewers like to point out that Tony was born in 1972 not 1968. In "Sins of the father" Senior bought a 1968 bottle of wine the year his son was born. So, I decided to just use Michael Weatherly's birth date and leave it at that. I know it makes Tony four years older but it also makes it easier for me to remember._

**CHAPTER 11**

_**The Big Surprise**_

As Tony carried a box of his stuff outside the building he couldn't help but notice the brand new black 1986 Ford Mustang Convertible parked in the front of the dorm. He set his box down on the pavement and took a peek inside the driver's side window. He wondered whom the lucky kid was that was getting it. Steve and Matt put their boxes down and joined him.

"Tony this is so cool. Do you know who it belongs to?"

Tony shook his head and looked at Steve, "I bet it belongs to that asshole Marty. His parents are loaded and you know how he likes to brag about every thing they buy him something."

Matt looked back toward the dorm, "I wonder if he will let us look inside or maybe even give us a ride?"

Steve grinned, "Matt…are you kidding me? Marty would probably freak out if he sees us within fifty feet of this car and call the headmaster."

All three of the boys started laughing as they bent down to pickup their boxes. Tony things would be staying with Matt's parents until after their summer vacation. When their vacation was over with Tony was going to have his stuff shipped to his dorm room at Ohio State.

"Junior…"

Tony turned and saw his father walking toward him. He had hoped his dad had already left. Right now, he was not in the mood to see him after what he had seen earlier.

Senior had a big smile across his face as he walked toward his son, "Well Junior…what do you think?"

Tony looked at his dad with a confused look on his face.

When Tony didn't say anything, Senior pointed his head toward the Mustang, "Well…do you like it? It's yours."

Tony just stared at his father for a few seconds until it finally registered to him what he father had just said, "Dad…do…do you really mean it's mine?"

Senior reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a set of keys, "Of course it's yours…Junior. I have it registered and insured under your name. The registration and insurance cards are in the glove compartment."

Senior grinned because he could still see the disbelief on his son's face. "Junior…don't you remember the last time we talked I told you if my business deal pans out I plan to get you something special for your graduation. I…know ever since you got your driver's license, you have been bugging me for a car. I also know you are going to need one when you go to college. So, I decided it was time I got you one."

Senior then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a credit card and handed it to his son, "You…are going to need this for gas and some spending money this summer. So…don't go overboard using it. I don't want to find myself broke."

Tony set the box he was holding on the ground. He grabbed the keys and hugged his dad. Within seconds he was sitting in the driver's seat. Steve jumped into the front passenger's seat and Matt jumped into the back.

"Tony lets take it for a spin around the campus."

Tony looked at his friends and then at his dad, "If you guys don't mind I would like to give my Dad the first ride?"

The two boys looked a little disappointed as they got out of the car so Tony's dad could have the honors. The father and son grinned at each other as Tony turned the key and started the engine. They drove around the school several times before Senior reminded him that he still had some more boxes to get out of his room.

When the father and son finally returned to the dorm both Steve and Matt tried to hop inside the car but Steve's mother stopped them both. "Boys…I know how exciting Tony's new car might be at the moment but we need to finish moving all your things out of the dorm. Afterwards we are going out to it and I am pretty sure Tony won't mind giving you a lift to the restaurant. Now, boys let's get to work."

The three boys reluctantly headed toward the building. Steve and Matt took their stuff to their parents' SUVs while Tony opened up the truck of his new car and started placing his smaller boxes and things in it. An hour later they were ready to go eat.

They all agreed to meet at the steakhouse just down the road from the school. Once they entered the restaurant they were seated together. Tony and his dad sat next to each other. It didn't take them long to place their orders. While they were waiting for their food, the Turners went over their plans for the trip to Miami with at least one stopover. Now that Tony has his own car he can follow them down there. Both the Turners and the Whites knew Tony was a very responsible young man and they trusted him with their sons. Since Steve also had a license and he would take turns driving Tony's car. Matt was still too young to drive so he could only be a passenger but he insisted on traveling with his friends.

At one point during the conversation, Senior winked at his son and Tony couldn't help but smile shyly back at him. He couldn't get over the fact that his dad had bought him a car. The younger DiNozzo at the moment was on cloud nine and what ever his father had done was now forgiven.

When they were finished eating it was time for the goodbyes. The Whites were heading home. Tony was going to have to take his dad to a car rental place while the Turners followed him and waited outside. Once Senior had the keys to his rental it was time for the father and son to say their goodbyes. It was kind of an awkward moment; the father and son just stared at each other for a few seconds. Finally the son hugged his father and thanked him again for the car and everything. The boy stepped back and looked at his dad. He was hoping his dad would tell him how much he loved him and how proud he was of him but all Senior told him to make sure he behaves while he is in Miami. He didn't want his son to give the DiNozzo name a bad rap.

_Gibbs still couldn't understand why Senior was such an asshole of a father. The man just had the perfect opportunity to tell his son that he loves him and he blew it. Gibbs now started to wonder about Senior's past and what kind of father Senior had. It would explain some things but it still would not make it right. If Tony's dad had a bad life then he should have broken the pattern but he didn't. Gibbs knew deep down inside him that if anyone was going to break the pattern it was going to be Tony._

_The other things that puzzled Gibbs was that he wondered why his SFA never mentioned his graduation gift to anyone on his team. The older man would have thought DiNozzo would have bragged about something like that especially when McGee told Tony his parents had bought him a used 1984 Camero on his 16__th__ birthday. __He remembers, Tony hugging McGee in sympathy when the younger man told him he crashed the car._

_**South Beach Miami…**_

It took them a little over three days to reach Miami and that was because Matt's mother insisted they stay overnight in Washington DC so they could do a little sightseeing. To her it was also an excuse to give the two older boys a break from the long drive. She was worried it was just a little too much of a long drive for the two inexperience drivers. The next day they spent riding around the city looking at all the sights. At one point they were stuck in traffic when the Presidents' motorcade passed by. All three of the boys thought it was so cool. By the time they got back to the hotel that night the boys were exhausted and slept through the night. The next morning they continued on their trip to Miami.

When they finally reached their destination they stopped by the rental office and picked up their keys. Matt's parents immediately headed to the house they will be staying at while the boys went to check out their place.

When the boys finally arrived at the beach house they couldn't believe their eyes. The house was right on the beach and it had a privacy fence in the back. The house had a kitchen with a big bay window that overlooked the ocean. There were three bedrooms and one of them faced the ocean. The boys played rock-paper-scissors to see which one of them was going to get it and Tony won. There was a swimming pool with a Jacuzzi. Matt was extremely happy about that because there was no way he was going into the ocean. He had a fear of sharks. The basement had a game room with a big huge pool table, big screen TV and several pinball machines. To the boys this was a house fit for kings.

After they were finished unpacking, the three boys headed outside unto the deck area so they could get a better view of the ocean. The two seventeen year olds almost had a heart attack when they saw several young girls around their age sunbathing topless next door. One of the girls waved to them. The two boys waved back. After a few minutes of gawking, Matt grabbed both Tony and Steve by their arms and dragged them back inside the house.

Tony was not happy and yelled at his younger friend, "Matt…what the hell did you do that for?"

"I don't want them to think you two are weirdos."

Steve joined in the conversation, "What are you talking about? One of them even waved to us. I don't think they think we are weird. I think they like us."

Matt just shook his head, "No…they won't if you two idiots continued to stare at them like you were doing and they might even call the police. Besides…I…think I just saved both your lives."

Both Tony and Steve asked in unison, "How?"

Matt grinned, "Both your tongues were hanging down so low that you could have tripped over them and broke your necks. So…I think you both owe me for saving your lives." All three of the boys started laughing. They laughed so hard they didn't notice Matt's parents standing a few feet behind them.

All three jumped when they heard Matt's father asked them what was so funny.

Matt looked at his father and started to explain but he stopped when he heard his mother yell from the deck, "MY GOD GIRLS PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON!"

After lunch, the Turners decided to go visit some old friends who lived in the area while the three boys wanted to take a drive around the area to see what they could find. It wasn't long before Steve spotted a small place that advertised private surfing lessons. Both Tony and Steve signed up for it so they could start taking lessons in the morning. Matt told his two friends that he was just going to sit on the beach and watch them because there was no way in hell he was going into the ocean.

Tony had to ask his friend why.

Matt looked at him as if he thought he was crazy, "Tony…don't you remember when you talked me into going to see "Jaws" with you?" After that…I decided to go to the library and do a little research on sharks. What I found out scared the shit out of me. I swore to myself that I would never go swimming in the ocean. You guys want to be lunch for sharks that's up to you but yours truly is staying on shore."

Both of the older boys just started laughing and told him he was going to miss out on meeting the girl surfers. Matt didn't care because he knew he would be safe on the beach and besides he was pretty sure there were going to be girls sunbathing on the beach so he wasn't worried at all.

For the next few days Tony and Steve spent most of their time learning how to stay on a surfing board. They were having a little trouble because there had been a storm a few miles out at sea and the waves were higher than normal.

On Friday, the boys decided to spend the day walking along the beach and exploring the shore. They were enjoying each other's company when Tony noticed they were heading toward an area that had a lot of foliage and palm trees. He froze because it reminded him of the time he was in Maui. Tony stopped dead in his tracks and just stared. Steve and Matt continued to walk several feet before Matt noticed they were one friend short. Matt turned around, "Tony…?"

Tony just stared and didn't move.

Matt looked at Steve and then back at Tony. This time he yelled, "TONY?"

Tony finally made eye contact with him.

The two boys could sense something was wrong and headed back toward their friend. "Tony…what's wrong?"

Tony looked nervous, "I…I think we have gone far enough. I…I think…it is time we head back to the beach house."

Steve grabbed his friend's arm but Tony pushed it away. Steve was surprised by the action, "Tony…what's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it. I…I just want to go back…now." Tony didn't give his friends a chance to say another word, he just turned and headed back toward their beach house as fast as he could.

Steve and Matt looked at each other; they were wondering what the hell was going on with their friend. Both boys had been Tony's roommates off and on for several years. They always knew something bad had happened to him because of the nightmares they have witnessed over the years. When they tried to talk with Tony about them he would always make up an excuse that it was something he watched on TV but they knew different and never pushed the subject because they figured he would tell them when he was ready.

Once they arrived back home, Tony was back to his old self. He wanted to go swimming in the pool. The two boys joined him and hoped he would say something but he never did. It was a few hours later when Matt's parents stopped by and invited the boys to come with them and see a mermaid show and then dinner.

It was dark when they finally arrived back at the beach house. All three boys were exhausted and decided to go straight to bed. Sometime just before midnight both Steve and Matt were awakened by screams coming from Tony's room. When they arrived there they found their friend still struggling with whatever demons he was fighting with.

Steve decided to try and wake up Tony but Matt stopped him. "Steve…I read somewhere that you shouldn't wake someone up from a bad dream."

Steve looked at Matt and then back to Tony. He could tell whatever nightmare his friend was having at the moment was really bad. He decided to ignore what Matt had told him. When he tried to wake Tony up he was surprised when his friend started kicking and yelling for him to leave him alone.

Steve stepped back so he wouldn't get hurt. He decided to wait a few seconds before he tried again.

Matt panicked, "Steve…I am going to call my parents? They…they will know what to do."

Steve grabbed his friend by his arm to stop him, "Matt…please don't…let's give Tony a few minutes. I don't think he would appreciate anyone else knowing about this. You…know how he is."

Matt bit the bottom of his lip because he wasn't sure if waiting was the right thing to do or not. After about a minute, Tony started to quiet down just a little. Tony now sounded like he was crying in his sleep. Steve decided it was time for him to try and wake his friend up. He shook him gently and called his name.

It took Tony a few seconds to open his eyes. He immediately sat up in the bed. He was confused at first when he saw his two friends. He then became embarrassed when he realized what must have happened. He started apologizing for waking his two friends up.

Both boys sat down on each side of the bed. Matt spoke first, "Tony you don't need to apologize for something you have no control over. Will you at lease tell us what is wrong?"

Tony looked down at his hands because he was embarrassed and ashamed. "It's nothing."

Steve was both scared and worried for his friend. He knew within a few weeks Tony would be on his own and neither Matt nor he would be there to help him. He decided it was time for Tony to get whatever it is off his chest and talk to them. Maybe they could help. "Tony…that's pure bullshit and we all know it. Matt and I have been your roommates for a long time now. We know you have been seeing a shrink for years. We also had been witness to your nightmares. Tony…Matt and I know something bad must of happened to you. We...we always figured you would eventually tells us when you are ready but you never have. We are going to be going to different colleges and might not see each other for a long time…Tony…please we're your friends we want to help you."

Tony looked at his two friends. He knew they only wanted to help. So, he decided to tell them about the secret he been carrying for over five years. Both Steve and Matt remained quiet while Tony started talking. He told them how his father had left him by himself in Maui for two days. He told them how he got bored and decided to take a walk on the beach and how he met this man who would later rape him. He told them how he had passed out and when he woke up next he was in the hospital. He remembered his father crying. He told them when he was finally released from the hospital he had to see a shrink. The last thing he told his two friends was how his father had told him was never to talk about what happened to anyone because it would bring shame to their family. Tony sat there quietly looking at his two friends and waiting for them to say something.

Matt and Steve just sat there and stared at him.

Tony took their silence as them being ashamed of him. His eyes started to water, "Okay…Okay…I understand…you don't want to be my friends anymore. My dad warned me this would happen. It's really why I never told you anything about it."

Steve spoke before Matt had a chance to, "No Tony…don't you ever think that. We will always be your friends no matter what happens. I…I am pretty sure Matt feels the same way I do. We…I just didn't know what to say to you. I knew something bad happened to you but I never expected it to be this bad."

Tony started wiping the tears from his eyes, he felt good once he realized he still had his two best friends and his father was wrong.

The three boys continued to talk into the early morning hours. They finally decided to go to bed and didn't wake up until noon. They made lunch and then headed out to do a little surfing.

_**Cailean…**_

_Tony and Steve were in the water trying to stay on their surfboards because the waves were a little higher than normal. It bothered Gibbs what Tony had told his friends and he just couldn't get it out of his mind. As he was thinking about it, something started to happen to him. Most of the time he felt as if he was seeing things through Tony's eyes. Now it was almost like he was being pulled away from Tony's body. He could see Tony and Steve on the surfboards having fun. He could see Matt on the beach talking with some girl. Once he was about a hundred feet from them, Cailean appeared in front of him._

_Gibbs moved toward him, "Cailean…how much more of this do I have to see? What happened to DiNozzo was wrong and I don't need to see any more. I want to go home."_

_Cailean just shook his head. "You will go home but you still have more to learn." Within seconds the translucence figure disappeared._


	12. Chapter 12

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_As always thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review my story. I really do appreciate it. _

_To the readers - I am not an expert on college rules or sports. So, please forgive me for any mistakes about any rules and regulations. I did try my best to look up certain things but I know I probably going to be wrong._

_Also…I did make a minor change in something that Tony said once told his teammates so I could work it into the story. _

**CHAPTER 12**

_**Ohio State – Buckeye**_

_The next thing Gibbs knew he was no longer at the beach but inside a dorm room watching Tony unpack. _

Tony spent a couple of hours Saturday morning moving and unpacking his stuff into his new dorm room. When he was almost finished he realized he was going to need a few more things. One of the staff members who were helping the new students to get settled in told him where he could get a good deal on a TV and VHS player. He also suggested that he could get the rest of his stuff at an IKEA store just a few miles down the road from here and their prices were very reasonable.

As Tony began to close the door, he took one last look at his new room before he headed off to do a little shopping. It looked so different from the dorm rooms he had shared with Steve and Matt. His eyes watered a little when he thought about his two friends. Steve had decided to go to the New York University School of Law because he wanted to be a lawyer just like his dad. Matt was going to Harvard and it had been a lifelong dream of his parents that their son would follow in their footsteps become a doctor like them. Tony on the other hand didn't want anything to do with his father's line of work. Tony loved sports and wanted to turn pro someday. Tony smiled when he remembered the look on his father's face. His father didn't say anything but he could see the disappointment in his eyes.

When Tony returned from his very successful shopping trip he found his new roommate had already moved in. Tony set his new TV down on the bed. He turned and smiled at them. They introduced themselves and apologized because they had to leave. He roommate's parents had a long drive back to their home in New Market, Alabama and they also had to be back at work on Monday morning. After they left his roommate introduced himself as James Larry Daniels but he wanted to be called Bubba. Bubba was the same age as Tony but much bigger in size. Bubba was Jewish by birth only, he and his family did not practice it. Since Bubba had all his stuff moved in he decided to help Tony bring up the rest of his items from the car.

While Tony was putting his TV stand together he and his new roommate talked about what their plans were for college. Tony was ecstatic when he found out Bubba loved sports just as much as he did. Bubba had been both the captain of the football and basketball teams at Buckhorn high school. He had won a full sports scholarship to come to OSU to play football. If it hadn't been for scholarship he could never have afforded to come to this college. Tony was lucky because his mother had set up a trust fund for him before she died. It would pay for his education.

On the first day of his classes, Tony was angry with himself because he had almost overslept and could end up being late if he doesn't find his class pretty soon. As he was walking quickly through the halls, he kept looking at his map. He was trying to figure out where his next class was when he bumped into the most beautiful girl he ever laid eyes on and knocked the books right out of her hands. He quickly bent down and started helping her pick them up. He kept apologizing.

Once they had gathered up all the fallen books they both stood up at the same time. Tony handed her his books by mistake. "Sorry…I'm not usually this clumsy. I am just in a hurry because I going to miss my very first class."

She smiled, "Maybe…I can help you. This is my second year here and I know my way around a little. What class are you taking?"

He told her and she smiled even more when she told him she was taking the same class and he just needs to follow her.

She reached out to shake his hand. "By the way, my name is Libby. What's yours?"

Tony shook her hand, "My name is Tony…Tony DiNozzo."

"It's nice to meet you Tony DiNozzo."

It wasn't long before Tony and Libby started seeing each other. Libby was one year older than Tony but it didn't matter to him. He liked her a lot and it was all that mattered to him. After classes Libby would always go watch him at football practice. She would bring her books along with her so she could study for her classes.

One day Libby talked Tony into taking her to see "Top Gun" at the local drive-in. She had this thing for Tom Cruise and wanted to see it. While they were sitting there watching the movie Tony felt Libby's hand on his leg. He looked over at her but she was watching the movie. He turned back to watch it but he was having a lot of trouble concentrating on the movie because her hand started to move closer toward his crotch area. This time when he looked at her she was smiling at him. He smiled back and reached over and began kissing her. Libby finally stopped him and talked him into moving in the back seat where it will be more comfortable for them.

Tony knew Libby was more experienced in sex than he was. She had several boyfriends before him. As soon as Tony was seated in the back, Libby began to remove her underwear. She then unzipped his pants but Tony stopped her when he realized he didn't have any protection with him.

She smiled and reached into her bag and pulled out some protection. She smiled and said, "I always keep some just incase."

That night Tony lost his virginity while Maverick and Charlie were arguing on the big movie screen. For the next couple of days Tony found himself walking around with a big silly grin every time he thought about it. During the nights he would have wet dreams and his roommate would throw something at him to shut him up.

Several months passed, Tony had called his dad to let him know there was a strong possibility he might get to play in the Thanksgiving game. He was hoping his dad could come to see the game and spend Thanksgiving with him. He was surprised when his dad agreed to come.

The day before the game Senior flew to Ohio. Since the big game was tomorrow Tony couldn't go to pick his father up. He had to stay and practice. Libby took his car and went to pick his father up. She took him to the Hyatt Regency.

The very next day, Libby went with Senior to watch the game. They both rooted Tony on as he made his first touchdown with the help of Bubba blocking the way.

After the game Tony, Libby and Senior went out to dinner. Tony for once had a great time with his dad. It had been a long time since they were able to enjoy each other's company. It could have had something to do with Libby. She seemed like she was very interested in hearing what both father and son had to say. That night, Tony and Libby drove Senior back to the airport so he could head home.

Around Christmas Libby had to go home. Her father had been in an accident and broke both his legs. Her mother insisted she come home to help out a little and spend some time with her dad. Tony had planned to spend Christmas with her but now that she wasn't going to be there he decided that he would drive all the way back to New York and spend the holiday with dad.

It was in the early morning hours when he arrived in New York. The sun was just starting to rise. The Manhattan skyline looked beautiful against the dark blue and orange sky. Tony had grown up in a mansion in the suburbs and now his father was now living in an apartment on the fiftieth floor of a high-rise apartment building.

It didn't take Tony long to find the place. He parked his car in the visitor section and took the elevator up to his dad's apartment. Senior was waiting for him. He showed him around his place. Tony was impressed the view from the big window in the living room was breath taking.

Because it was still early in the morning and Senior knew his son must be tired from the long drive he showed his son to his guest room and told him when he wakes up he will make him a man size breakfast and then they could go do some sightseeing around New York. Tony was exhausted so he didn't argue.

Around noon he finally woke up. Senior was true to his word and made him breakfast fit for a king. Tony had forgotten how good of a cook his dad was. They talked about old times.

It was still three days before Christmas; Tony was heading out to do a little shopping when his dad asked him to bring up his mail on the way back up. Tony told him he would. When he was finally finished shopping he stopped by the mailbox and picked his father's mail up. As he walking into the elevator he accidentally dropped his dad's mail all over the floor. He set the bags down and started picking the letters up when he noticed one of the envelopes on the floor had Libby's name and address on it. He smiled at the thought of his girlfriend sending his dad a Christmas card. He thought it was so nice of her. When he picked it up he noticed the SWAK and a bunch of X's and O's in the back of it. He decided to open it. Inside was a card with a message and a naked picture of his girlfriend. He read the message inside and couldn't believe what he was reading.

_Dear Anthony,_

_I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and let you know that I enjoyed the time we had together at Thanksgiving. It was the best sex I ever had. I like your son but I prefer a more mature man like you. I hope you like my little Christmas gift? _

_Love Libby_

As soon as Senior opened the door, Tony walked in and threw his bags on the floor and got up close to Senior's face, "DAD…HOW CHOULD YOU HAVE FUCKED MY GIRLFRIEND?"

Senior knew he was caught and there was not much he could say except try to defend himself. "Junior…look…she came on to me. What was I suppose to do?

"DAD…YOU COULD HAVE SAID NO!"

Senior didn't smile this time. He knew his son was very angry so he decided to try something else to calm him down, "Junior…look at it this way. It takes two to tangle. She is just as guilty as I am. Son…she is no good for you. It's better you find out now before it too late."

Tony knew his dad was right but there was no way in hell he was going to admit it to him. He was just too damn angry at the moment. He always knew he was not Libby first even though she was his. He had even seen her flirt with other men while she was with him. He had hoped it was just innocent flirting because he really liked her a lot. He had thought about asking her to go steady with him but he was now glad he didn't.

Tony looked at his dad with disgust. Right now, he didn't want anything to do with him. He headed to the guest room to get his things. His dad stopped him by the arm, "Junior…its Christmas?"

Tony turned and looked at him, "Don't call me Junior…my name is Tony. I hate it when you call me Junior."

"Tony…son…please its Christmas. At least stay for the holiday maybe we can talk this out."

Tony laughed, "Talk…you want to talk…to…me. After all these years you want to talk to me? Dad…is this what it takes to finally get your attention? You screw my girlfriend and now you want us to sit down and talk."

"You will not talk to me that way. I am your father and I have always been there for you."

Tony wanted to punch his dad but punched the wall instead. He felt pain shoot through his hand as he heard something break. Right now he didn't care what it was. He looked at his dad what such hate. "Dad…you have never really been there for me…"

Senior looked angry now, "What about the time I went to see your graduation and bought you that car?

Tony laughed, "Yeah…you weren't there to see me get my diploma…because you were too busy fucking the school nurse. As for the car you can have the fucking thing back because I don't want anything to do with you or anything you ever gave me." Tony pulled out his keys and his credit card and threw them at his dad. He went into his room and gathered up his things and left.

Tony didn't start to calm down until he was about several blocks from his father's apartment building. He now was trying to figure out how he was going to get back to Ohio State. He didn't have enough money to take a bus. Right now, he had two choices and that was to hitchhike back to Ohio or see if he can borrow some money from a relative. Tony decided to try the latter. He tried to call his Uncle Vincenzo to see if he could help him but he got no answer and then remembered his uncle was leaving today to go to Italy to spend Christmas with his family. He then decided to try to call his Uncle Clive in the UK. If anyone were going to help him he it would be his mother's favorite uncle.

Last year, Uncle Clive had invited him to spend the summer with him in the UK. Tony had a good time but he discovered his uncle did not like his dad at all. There was some kind friction between the two men but his Uncle Clive would not tell him what it was. He liked his uncle and could tell his uncle liked him. Before he had left to go back to the states his uncle told him if he ever needed help with anything to just call him.

When Tony finally got a hold of his uncle it was late in the evening. Tony apologized to him and explained to him that he had a falling out with his dad and he needed to borrow some money. His uncle Clive didn't hesitate. He told him he would wire him the money the first thing in the morning. After Tony hung up, he decided to call his great-aunt. She didn't live too far from where he was. He knew she didn't have much but he would always be welcome there…

_Every time Gibbs thought Senior couldn't get any worse he was surprised to find out he was so wrong. He couldn't imagine in his wildest nightmare Jackson messing around with Shannon. It something a father just doesn't do because some things are sacred and this was one of them. He now understood why Tony never mentioned the Mustang his father had given him and he didn't blame him. _


	13. Chapter 13

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_As always thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review my story. I really do appreciate it. _

_Just to let you know I do not know any Italian – I used __Google Translate for the Italian words. _

_This was a hard chapter for me because I wrote it several different ways before I decided on this. I hope you like?_

**CHAPTER 13**

_**Tony's Aunt Tessa**_

Tony was freezing his ass off and he now wished he had thought it through before he told his dad off and gave him back the car. He still had one more day in Manhattan before he could head back to Ohio. He tried several times calling his great-aunt but she wasn't answering her phone. He wished he could have called his friend Steve but he knew Steve was with his family in Aspen for the holidays. He looked up at the Manhattan winter sky and he could see a few flurries. He hoped it wasn't going to start snowing before he found a warm and safe place for him to sleep the night…

Tony tried to call his aunt one more time but she still didn't answer the phone so he decided he was going to take a chance and take the subway to nearest station next to her apartment building. Forty-five minutes later, he was standing at the front entrance to her building. He remembered she lived on the third floor so he headed up the stairs. He knocked several times on the door but there was still no answer. Tony put his head against the door. He knocked one more time before he whispered in Italian, "Si prega di zia Tessa essere a casa perché non ho altro posto dove andare." _(Please Aunt Tessa be home because I have nowhere else to go.)_

Tony waited a few seconds but there was still no answer. He stood there staring at the door trying to figure out what his next move was going to be because there was no way he was going back to his father's place. As he turned toward the stairs he started to hear the sound of someone unlocking a door. He turned back toward the door and was so relieved when he saw his aunt opening the door. She looked at him and asked. "Can I help you young man?"

Tony took a step forward and grinned, "Prozia Tessa ... sono io Anthony." _(Great Aunt Tessa...it's me Anthony.)_

She looked at him for a few seconds until she finally recognized him. "Anthony ... oh mio bambino. Guardate quanto grande avete ottenuto." (Anthony...oh my baby. Look how big you have gotten.) She grabbed him by the waist and hugged him as tight as she could. She finally released him and invited him in.

Tony grinned as he walked into the small apartment. The last time he visited his great aunt was when he was around ten years old. The place looked about the same except everything seemed some much smaller than he remembered.

Tony's aunt immediately dragged him into the kitchen and insisted that he sit at the table so she could make him some hot coco to warm him up. When it was ready she set the cup down in front of him. She noticed he was favoring his right hand so she asked him what had happened and he told her he tripped and fell. She gave him that look like she didn't quite believe him. She had him move his hand and fingers. She didn't think they were broken but she did believe one of his fingers was badly swollen. Tony knew his aunt had been a nurse in the emergency department of Bellevue for over thirty years so she knew what she was talking about. She went and got her first aid supplies. She taped his injured finger to another finger and gave him some pain pills. A little while later Tony started feeling much better.

"Now Anthony, why have you finally come to see your old aunt Tessa?"

"Prozia Tessa…I need a place to sleep tonight. Is it okay if I stay here?"

"Anthony…you know you are always welcome here. Now tell me why you have not come to visit me sooner?"

Tony took a sip of his coco. "For the last few years, my dad…had me in and out of boarding schools and summer camps. I finally graduated this year and I am now going to Ohio State University."

"You have come back to visit your father for the holidays?"

"Yes…but it turned out to be a big mistake. My dad and I got into a huge argument and I left."

She looked at his hand and pointed to it, "You call this an argument?"

Tony grinned, "Don't worry Prozia because I didn't hit my dad. I hit a wall instead."

The old woman looked seriously at him, "Anthony, you should have hit your father instead of the poor innocent wall."

They both started laughing.

For the next couple of hours Tony enjoyed just sitting there listening to his aunt tell him how all the family was doing. Around dinnertime, she decided to fix him her favorite spaghetti dish. Tony had forgotten what a good cook she was and had two servings. He offered to help her with the dishes but she made him go into the living room and watch TV while she took care of the kitchen.

While he was sitting there watching TV, he began looking around the room at all the knickknacks. It started to bring back memories of the first time he stayed in this apartment. It was almost a year after his mother died. He remembered his great aunt wasn't happy to see them. Both she and his dad started arguing in Italian. He remembered after the argument his dad walked over to him and told him he would be staying with his great aunt for a while and to behave himself. Tony remembered he didn't say a word as he watched his father leave him with another stranger…again.

_At first, Tony wasn't sure what to do so he just stood there and waited for her to tell him what to do. She immediately told him to sit on the couch in the living room and not to touch anything. There was no TV in the room so she gave him a book to read. He found the book was too hard to read and put it down. He wondered how long he was going to have to stay at this place before his dad came and got him. Tony didn't remember falling asleep but he did. _

_The next thing he knew someone was shaking his shoulder, "Come bambino…I will make you something to eat and then you can go to bed."_

_Tony did as he was told and sat at the kitchen table. He began eating without saying a word._

_His great-aunt stood there and watched the boy. Finally curiosity got the better of her and she had to ask, "Child…can you speak?"_

"_Yes."_

"_What haven't you said anything?"_

"_My dad told me to only speak when I am spoken to."_

_The old woman just stared at him for a few seconds, "Anthony…bambino…I am not your father and you can speak to me anytime you want."_

_Tony looked up at the woman, "My dad says I am to stay here with you for now. Do you know how long that will be this time?"_

"_Anthony…what do you mean by this time?"_

"_After my mom died, my dad has been dropping me off with my mom's family while he takes care of business. They got angry with him and told him he needed to start raising his own child…"_

Tony was brought back from the memory when he heard his great-aunt moving around the living room. She was collecting all the family photo albums and boxes of pictures and putting them on the coffee table. Tony grinned because he knew his great aunt was into the DiNozzo family genealogy. He knew for the next couple of hours he was going to be occupied looking at all the family pictures and listening to his great-aunt talk about the DiNozzo family history. He really didn't mind because he always enjoyed listening to her.

Aunt Tessa sat down on the couch and showed Tony a very old picture of a man and woman on their wedding day, "Anthony, these are your grandparents…Roberto and Maria DiNozzo. Roberto was my younger brother and your father's father."

She handed him a picture of his dad when he was just a little boy. Tony couldn't get over how much he and his dad favored each other. She continued to show him some more pictures of his dad at different ages. Seeing these pictures of his dad, made Tony curious about something and he decided to ask her, "Prozia Tessa…can you tell me what you and my dad were arguing about the day he dumped me on to you? Was it because you had to take care of me for a while?"

She looked at her nephew. "No…il mio bambino, I have always enjoyed your company. I was angry with your father because he never gave me any kind of notice. He never called me. He just dropped you off and left. I had nothing in this house for a child your age and that was why I was angry with him. If your father had asked me earlier I would have had a room ready for you and maybe a TV but I had nothing to offer you."

Tony smiled and said, "That's my dad for you."

"Anthony…when your father was a little boy your grandparents spoiled him rotten. I tried to warn my brother and his wife it was unhealthy for a child to have everything but they wouldn't listen to me. They bought your father anything he wanted and sent him to the finest schools. When your father graduated from college he went into buying and selling land and made a fortune in it. He used the money to make more investments. He never once offered any of that money to his parents. My poor brother and his wife worked up till the day they died."

She opened an album and showed Tony a couple of pictures of his father with different women. "Your father loved the women and was always chasing them. I guess you already know about that since he has been married so many times?"

"Did he every love my mother?"

She smiled, "Unconditionally…your mother had him wrapped around her little finger. He wanted to marry her the moment he saw her but she told him she would not marry him until he gets a steadier job."

Tony looked shocked, "My dad giving up the entrepreneur life style?"

She grinned, "Anthony…would you believe your father once managed a bank in Manhattan and he was very good at it."

"So what happened to the job?"

"After a couple of years he got bored. He finally quit and went back to buying and selling land and traveling all over the world looking for the next great deal. Your mother decided to let him be because she loved him. When your mother became pregnant with you your father promised he would stay around New York so he could be closer to home when you were born."

Tony needed to know, "Did…did my dad want me?"

She looked at him and wasn't sure if she really knew the answer or not. She decided to tell him what she knew. "I remember the day you were born. The labor pains had started early in the morning hours. Your dad called his mother and she called all the other DiNozzo family members to let them know you were on the way. We all met at the hospital and waited to welcome our newest family member. When I arrived, I found your father in the waiting room just pacing back and forth. I had never seen him like that before. When he saw me he begged me to find out what was taking so long. Once the staff realized I was a nurse they let me stay with your mother. She was in labor for more than twelve hours. Anthony…would you believe I was the first DiNozzo to welcome you into this world. You were such a beautiful bambino. While the doctor was taking care of your mother I got the honor of introducing you to your father. When I tried to hand you to him he backed off and refused to hold you. He said he was afraid he was going to drop you…"

_Gibbs couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could you not want to hold your own baby? He remembered the nurse almost had to pry Kelly from his arms…_

_**Back in Ohio…**_

It was the day after New Years when Libby finally returned to college. She found Tony at one of the basketball courts practicing. She tried to sneak up behind him and grabbed his waist but Tony immediate removed her hands from him. He told her politely that he didn't want to see her anymore and asked her to leave. When she tried to ask him what happen, he told her that is seems he is too immature for her and that she should not waste her time with him. He suggested she look for someone more mature like his dad…

For the rest of the school year he concentrated only on his classes and practice. On the weekends he worked part-time at a local restaurant in downtown Columbus. Tony never realized it before but he seemed to have knack with the women customers because they were always leaving him big tip…

_**Final Four - before losing to UCLA.**_

Three years had passed and Tony was in Washington DC for the final four. He was nervous and couldn't sleep. He decided that he needed to go for a walk. Maybe it would help him to get his head straight. He told his coach that he would be back in a little while.

After Tony had walked several blocks, he could hear someone screaming. When he turned the corner he saw a woman screaming that her babies were still inside the burning building. Tony didn't hesitate to run inside.

There was smoke and fire all over the place. He tried yelling to see if he could get an answer. Finally he heard a little boy yelling for help. He found Jason hiding in a closet. He picked the boy up and started carrying him toward the stairs. The boy started screaming for his sister. Tony set the boy down. He turned and headed toward the little girls room but part of the ceiling fell down in front of him. He didn't see anyway around it.

He realized at that moment there was nothing he could do without endangering both the boy's and his life. If he had been by himself he might have chance it but he couldn't let both children die trying to save one. He decided it was time for him to take the boy and leave. As he was leaving he could hear the little girl screaming and then she finally stopped. He tried not to think about it anymore he would just focus on getting the boy to safety.

Once he was outside he handed the boy to his mother. The moment he looked at her he could tell she knew. She hugged her son tighter and tears flowed down her face.

"I…I am so sorry ma'am."

Just then several firemen ran past him with a hose. Two paramedics ran to the boy and his mother. Another one guided Tony to one of the waiting buses so he could be checked out. He insisted he was okay. A little later the paramedics released him, before he left he tried to talk to the boy's mother to let her know how sorry he was but the boy started calling him a coward for not saving his sister. His mother tried to stop her young son but she couldn't. Finally one of the paramedics gave the boy something to calm him down. He told Tony they needed to leave so they could get the boy to the hospital and have him checked out.

Tony took one last look at the boy and then back to the mother. His eyes were watering, "I…I am so sorry ma'am."

"Son…there was nothing for you to be sorry about. I…I know you did the best you could to save both of my children. My son just doesn't understand right now."

Tony just stood there and watched as they closed the doors to the bus and left. One of the policemen who watched the whole scene felt sorry for the young man and offered to drive him back to his hotel.

The coach met him in the lobby and was getting ready to chew Tony's ass out when he noticed something was not right. Tony smelt like smoke and he could see what looked like some minor burns on his face and hands. When he tried to ask Tony what happened, all the younger man did was start crying. The coach reached out and hugged him.

"Son…what's wrong."

"Coach…I couldn't save her. She was only four years old and I…I couldn't…save her."

"Tony…what are you talking about?"

"There…there was this fire in a townhouse. I got the brother out but I couldn't get his sister. I can still hear her screaming and then nothing. Coach…I don't know if I can ever get those screams out of my head."

The next day of the game the coach benched Tony because he knew the younger man had not gotten any sleep and was in no condition to play. The team put up a good fight but finally lost to UCLA.

A month had passed and Tony was invited to attend a ceremony in honor of him for saving the life of Jason King. Tony declined the offer because he really didn't feel like a hero. He felt more like a failure. There was not a night that went by without him hearing that little girl's screams.

_Gibbs couldn't help but feel bad for the younger Tony. He knew what is was like to try and save someone and fail in the attempt. It had happened to him many times while he was in the military and a few times while he was working for NCIS. It always hurt most when it involved children. _

_**Buckeye Vs. Michigan**_

_It was the last year of college and Tony's football team was getting ready to play Michigan… _


	14. Chapter 14

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_As always thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review my story. I really do appreciate it. _

_I haven't been feeling well this week so I wasn't really sure if I could get another chapter in this weekend or not. I am been trying to do at least two chapters a week. Just to give you a heads-up, I probably still have about six more chapters to do before I complete the story. _

_I hope you enjoy._

**CHAPTER 14**

_**Ohio Buckeyes Vs. Michigan Wolverines**_

It was Tony's last year of college and he was hoping to play professional football. For the past few weeks he had talked with a couple of scouts who had been interested in him playing for their teams. They planned to be at his next game. The Buckeyes would be playing on their own turf against the Michigan Wolverines. Tony was OSU's strongest running back and he knew if he did well in this game there would be no stopping him.

On the day of the big game Tony was standing in the middle of the football field. The crowd was chanting his name. Tony was all psyched up. The crowd roared when he caught the football in midair and started running toward the goal line. He passed the forty-yard line, the thirty-yard line, and the twenty-yard line and he was finally stopped at the ten-yard line. Someone from the other team manages to tackle him and he goes down hard. A few seconds later, he felt the weight of several other players jump on top of him. He felt his knee give out and then the excruciating pain as he passed out.

The next time he woke up he was lying in a hospital bed and his leg was elevated. He started to look around and stopped when he saw his dad sitting in a chair next to the bed just staring at him.

"How bad?"

"Junior…I think it's best you talk with your doctor. He can fill you in better that I can about your leg."

"Dad…I meant the score."

"Oh…you got the football close enough so your friend Bubba could get that last touchdown and tie the game."

Tony was glad for his friend but he was now worried his injury might be the end of his football career. He decided he wasn't going to show it in front of his dad, "Well, at least we didn't lose. Where is everyone by the way?"

"They were here but stayed until they got word you were going to be okay. Since I was here and they knew you were going to be alone they went decided to leave. They told me to tell you they would be back tomorrow."

"Dad…have the doctors said anything about my leg?"

"Not yet, they are waiting for some tests to come back."

Tony was curious about the way his father was here, "Now Dad…tell me why you are here?"

Senior smiled, "I came to watch the game."

"Why?"

"Junior…I…I know we haven't been on good speaking terms for a long time. What I did was wrong and I know it and I am sorry. You…you may find this hard to believe but I really miss seeing you."

Tony almost wanted to laugh but his leg was starting to throb a little. He grimaced just a little when he tried to move into a more comfortable position. Senior stood up and tried to help him.

"Thanks Dad. I'm fine now."

A few seconds later the doctor walked into the room and he gave Tony the bad news. Tony was going to need surgery as soon as the swelling goes down. After the surgery he will have to keep weight off his knee for a while. When Tony asked the doctor if he would still be able to play football the doctor told him he was sorry because any plans he had for a career in football were over. There was no football team that would want to sign him up with the knee injury he had. Tony asked a few more questions about his knee. When Tony was finished with the questions the doctor gave him something for the pain and left.

For a couple of minutes, Tony laid there trying to figure out what he was going to do with his life. Right now he had a few more months of classes and would be getting his Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education this coming spring. What was he going to do after he was through with college?

"Junior…I can help."

Tony almost jumped when he heard his father's voice because he had completely forgotten he was there, "What?"

"Son…let me help you. Once you are out of the hospital why don't you come back to New York with me so I can help take care of you until you are better?"

"Dad…thanks for the offer but I still have classes here that I have to go to."

"Son…didn't you hear what the doctor said? He said you were going to have stay off your leg after you get out of the hospital. You are going to be wheelchair bound for weeks before you can even use crutches. Come back to New York…I can get someone to help take care of you when I am not there."

"No Dad…I am staying here and finishing college. I will get someone from the school to bring me my books so I can still study. When I get out of here I will be okay with a wheelchair to get to my classes. The school is designed for it."

"Junior…if you like I can stay here for a few weeks to help you?"

"No Dad…I appreciate the offer but I will be okay on my own. I have friends who can help me so you can go back to New York. I promise…I will be fine."

Tony could see his dad was just not ready to give up just yet. "Junior…please I want to help out in some way."

Tony was confused. He didn't understand why all of a sudden his dad acted like he cared about his health, "Dad…why is it so important for you to help me now after all these years? What has changed to make you even want to help me?"

"Look Junior…I am your father I…"

Tony cut the older man off before he could finish his sentence, "Dad…don't give me that father and son bullshit. I…I want you to tell me the truth. Why are you here and why is it so important that makes you want to help me?"

Tony could almost see the wheels spinning in his father's mind as he tried to think of what to say to his son. He wondered why it was so hard for his dad just to simply tell him that he loved and cared about him.

"Junior…I…."

"Just leave Dad. I don't need your help right now. Go…I promise you I will be fine. I will call you when I get out of the hospital."

Tony's eyes started to water as he watched his father leave. He wanted to stop him but he was too hurt and angry. Why was it so damn hard for his father to just tell him he loved him?

_Watching Tony argue with his father reminded Gibbs of the time just before he left to join the marine corp. He and his father got into a huge argument over a junk car that he kept in his father's garage. He wanted to rebuild it and Jackson wanted him to get rid of it before he left for the service. Gibbs remembered as he was walking toward the door his father stopped him. "Son please listen…I know you and I both are alike in many ways and we are both too stubborn to admit it. So…what I am trying to say is no matter what happens you will always be my son and I love you. I also want you to know how proud I am of you at this moment. Leroy…you take care of yourself and come back in one piece…okay?"_

In the spring Tony finally graduated from Ohio State University and he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education. By this time he had already decided what he wanted to do with his life. He couldn't get Jason King and his little sister out of his mind so he decided he wanted to do something that mattered. He had thought about becoming a fireman but he didn't think he could pass the physical with his bad knee. So he decided to go into law enforcement to help arrest people like the arson who caused the death of Jason's little sister. He hoped this might bring some peace to him. Maybe the nightmares would finally start to go away.

Right after they graduated, Tony and his Alpha Chi Delta fraternity brothers decided to head down to Florida so they could have some fun in the sun. Tony invited both his friends Steve and Matt to join him. He wanted to talk with them about his plans and see what they think. He knew they would give him their honest opinions on what they think of a choice of careers.

For the first week the three friends just drank (Matt was still underage so he could only drank nonalcoholic drinks) and partied with Tony's frat brothers and they had a great time. When the week was up Tony's frat brothers left and headed home to spend some time with their families. Tony, Steve and Matt wanted to stay a week longer just to spend some time together. Steve and Matt still had a few more years of college before they were finished. They knew about Tony's knee injury and knew he was finished with college. They were curious about his plans for his future but were not going to push it until he was ready to tell them.

It was just a few minutes before sunrise and the three friends were sitting on the porch of their rented beach house. Tony handed both Steve and Matt their coffees before he sat down with his. He sat there for a few seconds trying to figure out what to say. Finally he said, "I know…you both have been waiting patiently to find out what I am planning to do with my life. Well…I decided to go into law enforcement."

Steve almost choked on his coffee. Of all the things he thought Tony would do with his life it wasn't this.

Matt patted Steve on the back as he said, "Tony…I think it is a very noble profession to get into but why on earth would you do something like that? You have a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education, you could go into teaching maybe?"

Tony began to tell his two friends about what happened to Jason King and his little sister and how he wanted to do something that mattered with his life. He was happy when both his friends understood and congratulated him on his choice. Tony told them about how he applied to the police academy and was accepted. He also told them he planned to sign up for some law enforcement classes because he wanted to be a detective someday.

_**Peoria**_

Tony had been keeping all his things in a storage unit while he was at the police academy. The day after he graduated he spent the first part of the morning moving what little he had into his new furnished apartment. He grinned as he hung up his brand new uniforms up in the closet. He couldn't believe he was finally finished with his training and on Monday he would start his new job as a Peoria Police officer.

When Monday finally arrived, Tony went to the police station early because he knew he had a mountain of paperwork to fill out, meet with the police chief, and meet his new partner Police Officer Mark Tanner. Mark had worked with the police department for the last twenty years. He was eligible to retire but he loved the job too much. He wanted to stay on for a few more years. Mark was married and had three kids. His oldest son was almost Tony's age and he followed in his father's footsteps and became Chicago police officer. The other two kids were still in school.

The first day Tony spent most of his time with Mark. The older man showed him around the police station and introduced him to the people that worked there. A little later him took him out on patrol so he could show him the area they were assigned to. It appears they would be working in one of the worst neighborhoods in Peoria…

_Just before Gibbs hired Tony he had looked into his SFA's background and was really impressed with the younger man's law enforcement background, especially the time he spent at the police department in Peoria. He remembered Kate teasing Tony about being at each police department for only two years. Gibbs knew Tony's length of service in Peoria was much longer than he let on and he knew Tony had his reasons for it. If Tony wanted to keep it as secret he was going to let him…_


	15. Chapter 15

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_As always thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review my story. I really do appreciate it. _

_In this chapter Gibbs already knows something about Tony's time in Peoria because he had read Tony's background history before he hired. Gibbs is going to be in for a few surprises as he learns more about his SFA._

_I hope you like…_

_**PEORIA…**_

Police officer Anthony DiNozzo had worked in Peoria for a little over two and a half years. He loved love the city and the people he worked with. Right now, he was trying to get ready for work. He was in the bathroom shaving and listening to the radio when he heard the banging on the door.

"Tony…I got to go pee."

He yelled back, "Danny…please give me one minute. I am almost finished in here."

Tony went back to his shaving when he heard the newswoman on the radio reporting that a boater found a body floating in the Illinois River. She said the boater immediately called the police and they came and retrieved the body. She went on further to say that she got this from a reliable source that the police believe this is the body of the missing college student Joe Becker. Becker had been reported missing by his family a little over three weeks ago. The student was supposed to have gone biking with his friends at Jubilee College State Park but he never showed up. His friends then called his parents who in turn called the police. Search parties were organized and sent out but nothing was ever found of the young man.

Tony almost nicked himself when the banging on the door got louder this time, "TONY…I GOT TO PEE NOW!"

Tony quickly splashed water on his face and then wiped it with a towel. He quickly moved over to the door and opened it. He looked down to see a very angry four year old holding himself. Tony opened the door wider to let him in. The little boy ran past him as Tony tried to apologize, "Sorry Danny…I didn't mean to take so long."

Tony was finished in the bathroom so he grabbed his shirt and put it on as he headed toward the kitchen where he found his second roommate. She was just about finished cleaning up the kitchen. She turned and looked at him, "Officer DiNozzo…did I ever tell you how good-looking you are in that uniform?"

Tony walked over and put his arms around her waist and kissed her, "Yes…but you can keep telling me because I like hearing it."

She smiled as she moved closer to him; "Officer DiNozzo…do you know you look sooo goood in your uniform." She looked at the clock, "You do know...we still have a few minutes…before you go to work."

"We have a few minutes for what…Mommy?" asked the little boy as he walked into the room.

Tony looked at her and started laughing. She gave him a dirty look and hit him lightly on the arm as she said to her son, "Tony has a few minutes before he goes to work. I think he has time to read you a story."

The boy smiled and grabbed Tony's hand, "Tony…you promised you would read me 'Green Eggs and Ham'…remember? Mommy said she was going to make us some after you read it to me."

As Tony was being dragged on to the living room, he yelled to the boy's mom, "Lisa…don't forget you owe me for this one and I…I plan to collect it in the morning when I get home from work."

She smiled as she yelled to him, "I will be waiting…"

_Gibbs was surprised he had never known that Tony once played house. This Tony was sharing an apartment with a woman and her little boy. The Tony he knew liked to live alone and didn't get along with kids all that good. He wondered if he was going to ever find out what became of Lisa and her son Danny._

The next day the preliminary autopsy was ready. It revealed that Joe Becker had been repeatedly beaten and raped for those weeks he had been missing. The words "Seeker of Knowledge" were craved into the young man's chest and the police decided they were going to keep that one piece of information from the public for now. Lastly the report also revealed that young man was stabbed to death only a few hours before his body was found floating in the river.

A few days passed and another student turned up missing. The parents gave the police a picture of their son Bob Hofmann. The detective who took the report noticed the missing student looked similar to Joe Becker whose body was now down in the morgue. The police chief was notified immediately and he ordered extra patrols along the rivers. For now, he wanted to keep this quiet and not panic the public.

It was around midnight; Tony and his partner Mark Tanner were working the night shift. The two men were sitting in their patrol car taking their break and eating pizza. Tony ate while Mark complained about his wife wanting him to retire. When the older man finally stops talking he took a slice of pizza.

Tony took another slice out of the box before he asked, "Well Mark…are you going to do it or not?"

The older man grinned, "My Sally's right you know? I promised her a long time ago I would take her to Europe once our kids were all grown up. My oldest Mark Jr. is a cop in Chicago and both Keith and David are in college now. So…yah kid I think it is time for me to hang up my hat."

Tony took a bite of his pizza, "When do you plan to do it?"

"My birthday is coming up in a few months. I came in early last week to get the paperwork started and I also had a long talk with the captain this morning." Mark turned and looked at his younger partner and asked with a big smile, "You gonna miss me kid?"

Tony looked at the older man and grinned. He knew Mark deserved it but he was really going to miss the old guy. He has been a good teacher and good friend ever since he came to Peoria. Mark and his wife Sally had even treated him like he was part of their family. Tony eyes started to water a little as he said, "I wish you the best my friend because you deserve it. I am happy for you and Sally. Just make sure you send me some postcards to Europe. Better yet tell your wife to send me some postcards because I think she will remember to."

Mark laughed and decided to change the subject before it gets a little too mushy. "So…Tony…how's Lisa and Danny doing these days?"

"They are doing pretty good. They seemed to have finally settled in. Would you believe I finally got the little guy to like me?"

"Tony…you don't give yourself enough credit. You are going to be a great dad someday."

"Are you kidding me? You know…most of the kids I meet hate me? Look at what happen the last time the captain made us talk to those first graders at that elementary school. If you hadn't come back they would have tied me up. I am telling you Mark…kids hate me."

Mark almost choked on his pizza, "Tony…(cough) they don't hate you. I have already told you they can sense your fear and they play on it. Once you start to relax (cough) around them you will do fine. By the way, when you see Danny tell him I said hi. Since we are on the subject Lisa and Danny…my Sally wants to know when do you plan to marry that girl?"

Before Tony could answer the question a car sped by them. Tony shoved the rest of the pizza into his mouth and turned on the siren. Mark started the car and put his foot on the gas petal and started chasing the speeder.

Three weeks later the second victim's body was found floating in the Illinois River. The police now knew from the condition of the body and the carving on the chest that they definitely had a serial killer on their hands. They immediately notified the colleges to be on high alert for any suspicious people hanging around their campuses and the captain ordered extra patrols to patrol the colleges as well as the river.

Three days later Tony walked into the police station and could immediately sense something was wrong. Everyone seemed to be going about their business but there was no talking or joking around. When Tony tried to ask someone about it the captain yelled for him to come into his office. He told Tony to take a seat as he shut the door. "DiNozzo…I've got some bad news. Mark's son Keith turned up missing late this morning."

Tony stood up, "Where's Mark?"

"He's with Sally and son David right now. They're trying to call all of Keith's friends to see if he might be with them or know where he could be."

Tony began shaking his head, "No…no…Keith's a pretty good kid. He doesn't go anywhere without letting his parents know. Something must have happened to him otherwise he would have called them." Tony looked at the captain "Sir…do you think Keith could be the newest victim?"

"I sure hope not but Mark's boy does fit the description of the victims."

"Captain…I need to go and be with Mark and Sally. Maybe I can help them in someway.

"No…DiNozzo I need you to stay here…please sit…I have been meaning to talk with you about something. It seems we have a serial killer on our hands. The victims were both young men. One was nineteen and the other had just turned twenty. They attended one of the local colleges. I have been talking with some of the investigators on this case and they are talking about maybe using some of our people to go undercover and pose as college students."

Tony looked at the man and immediately knew where he was going with this and he didn't like it.

"DiNozzo…you look young enough to pass for a college student. If you were to dye your hair blond you would fit the description of the victims. I was wondering if you would be interested in going undercover?"

At that moment, Tony had a flashback of being tied to a bed and a man on top of him. Tony started shaking his head, "No…no…I am sorry sir but I can't do that. If it were anything else I would gladly do it but I can't do this."

The police captain already knew about Tony's past history and had decided to talk with the police psychiatrist before he even asked his young officer the question. The doctor told him it would depend on the person but from what he had seen of DiNozzo he seemed to have his head on pretty straight after what had happen to him. The doctor did warn him that DiNozzo may or may not want to do something like that and was not to push him into it. "Okay son…I just find someone else. Don't worry about it."

"Captain…is it okay if I go see Mark and his wife?"

"DiNozzo…Son…I am really sorry but you will still have to work your shift because I don't have anyone to spare."

That night Tony sat in the car all by himself. It was a good thing it was a slow night because he couldn't get his mind off his partner's son Keith. The boy was such a good kid.

The next morning when his shift was over he called Lisa to let her know he wasn't going to be home right away. He explained to her what had happen to Keith Tanner and he wanted to go over to Mark's and see if he could be of any help…

Three weeks later, there was still no word on Keith. Mark didn't go back to work. He stayed home with his wife so he could be there for her because she was taking it pretty hard. Tony would show up just about every day after work to see if he could help them in anyway. On the day they found the body, Tony was sitting in the kitchen talking to Mark, Sally and their oldest son when the phone rang. Mark was the one who answered the phone. Everyone in the room could tell from Mark's body language that it was the bad news. Mark slammed the phone down and immediately hugged his wife. Tears were flowing down his face as he whispered to her their son was dead…

A couple of days later, as expected, a fourth college student by the name of John Kaufman disappeared. The mayor decided it was time to go to the media and warn the public that they had a serial killer on the loose. He gave a brief description of what they knew so far. He also asked for their help if they see something suspicious to call the police. They gave a specific number to call.

Keith's funeral was held two weeks later. Tony, Lisa and Danny had gone to both the service and burial to show their support to the grieving family. After the burial Tony dropped both of Lisa and Danny off at the apartment and he drive to Mark's house. While he was there Mark's oldest son told his parents that he was going to volunteer to go undercover to try and catch the bastard that killed his brother. His mother became very upset and started crying and arguing with her son that she already lost one son she doesn't want to lose another. Her son finally gave in and promised her he wouldn't do it.

It was at that moment Tony made the decision that he was going to do whatever it takes to bring that bastard in. When he went home that night he had a long talk with Lisa and let her know what he was planning to do. At first she tried to talk him out of it but she gave up when she saw the look in his eyes. She knew Tony had made up his mind and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

The next morning, Tony walked into the police station and had a long talk with the captain. When he was finished he was immediately reassigned to the 'Seeker of Knowledge' investigation. He was brought into the conference room where he was to meet with the investigators who would fill him out on what they have so far. While he was sitting there he couldn't help but notice the board. On top was the words "Seeker of Knowledge". Underneath it were the names and photos of the victims, Joe Becker, Bob Hofmann, Keith Tanner and the newest one John Kaufman. Below the photos were more photos of the young men after they were found. It bothered Tony to see Keith Tanner's photo hanging up on the board but he knew if he was going to help in the investigation he was going to have to get used to seeing it.

Once everyone was assembled in the room Tony was introduced to the team he would be working with. Ralph King will be the team leader. After the introductions King immediately began filling Tony in all the information they had so far. All were young males either nineteen or twenty years of age. They all had German last names. They were blonds and all had the same build as Tony. They all attended one of the colleges in the local area. The young men either lived alone, with a roommate or with their families. The victims were either jogging or biking on a trail when they disappeared. The autopsy report also mentioned that all the young men had been repeatedly beaten and raped for those weeks they had been missing. They were later stabbed to death and then their bodies were tossed into the Illinois River. The last thing Tony was told about the victims was the words "Seeker of Knowledge" was craved on all the victims' chest. He was warned to keep this bit to himself because for now they did not want the public to know.

After King had given Tony all the information they had on the victims he immediately went into what part Tony will be playing on the team. Two days from now, Tony will be attending Midstate College. He will be posing as a student by the name of Simon Wolf. He will be meeting with the head of the college who will then give him all the information he will need to while he is there. Lastly Tony was handed the keys to a furnished apartment next to the college campus. He will be staying there until they find the bastard who was killing these young men.

When Tony was finished at the station, he stopped by the grocery store and bought himself some hair dye. He went home so he could spend the rest of the day with Lisa and Danny. He wrote Lisa a check for his share of the rent and utilities for the next several months just incase something happens to him. He played with Danny until he was ready for bed. That night Lisa helped Tony to dye his hair blond. Early in the morning, Lisa woke Tony up so she could make love to him. When they were finished, Tony got up and took a shower. Lisa was waiting for him at the door. Tony kissed her and left for his undercover assignment…

Three months passed, the police were still finding bodies in the Illinois River. They were no closer to capturing the Seeker as they now dubbed him then they were before. The police chief continue to have extra police patrolling the college's campuses and it was taking a toll on the department's payroll. Unknown to the public the police had four of their own people posing as college students.

Saturday morning Tony and his team decided that he should go biking in Jubilee College State Park. This will be their third time there. Tony wasn't too worried if he runs into the Seeker because he would have four undercover cops throughout the park keeping an eye on him.

As Tony was biking along trail he saw the small wooden bridge just ahead of him. He got this uneasy feeling as if someone was watching him. He slowed down just a little so he could look around. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him.

_Gibbs tried to stay out of it but he couldn't help but whispered to Tony to trust his gut._

As Tony slowly pedaled across the bridge he felt something hit his neck. He stopped pedaling and reached up and pulled a small dart out of his neck. He could feel the drug starting to take effect. He tried to reach for his cellphone but it fell out of his hand and into the small creek below. As he started to pass out he stepped off the bike and he fell to the ground. The last thing he remembers before he passed completely out was someone moving toward him.

The next time Tony woke up he nearly freaked out. He found himself naked. His hands were chained to the ceiling and his feet were chained to the floor. He looked around the room and didn't see anyone. At the moment he didn't have much to do so he started studying the room. It reminded him of an old school room. Two of the walls had large blackboard attached to them with all kinds of math equations written all over the boards. There were also quite a few stacks of books all over the place.

Tony started talking to himself, "Alright DiNozzo…take a deep breath. You are going to be okay. The team is just outside at least we hope they are outside. They will walk through the door right now."

Tony looked at the door but nothing happened. "That's great…where the hell are you guys?"

Just as he said that, he heard the noise of the door opening. A tall creepy looking man who looked like he could be in his early fifties walked in. He smiled at Tony and asked, "Mister Simon Wolf are you ready for your first class?"

Tony knew he needed to stall for time and get as much information out of the creep as he could, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Now Simon…you should not talk to your instructor that way."

"Your not my instructor. Why did you take me?"

The man continued to smile as he walked closer toward the younger man, "Simon...I brought you here to teach you the finer side of sex between two men. If you don't behave I will have to punish you like I did the others." The man moved behind Tony and whispered, "Do you know how handsome you are my young friend?" Tony could feel his body starting to shake just a little. He tried to move away from him but the chains wouldn't let him move more than an inch.

"Why are you doing this?"

The man moved to the front of Tony and studied him for a few seconds before he answered him, "You want to know why? I happen to like very intelligent and good-looking men like you. They turn me on."

Tony couldn't hold back what he was thinking, "You sick bastard. You killed all those innocent young men for you sick lust."

That man smiled as he began to remove his clothes. He walked around the back of Tony. Tony could feel the heat of the man's body next to him. He closed his eyes and waiting for the assault to happen but it never came.

It was at that moment, the door burst open and over twenty fully armed law enforcement officers rushed into the room. Someone was yelling for the man to move away for Tony. Two of the men grabbed the Seeker and pushed the bastard to the floor and pinned so he couldn't move. Another officer rushed over with bolt cutters to free Tony from the chains while someone covered him with a blanket.

As Tony was standing there shaking and watching the scene before him, King walked over and patted Tony on the back, "You did good kid."

Under protest, Tony was immediately taken to the hospital to be checked out to make sure he was okay. When he was finally released he was taking back to headquarters for the debriefing. No one was ever going to know Officer Tony DiNozzo was the person who was mainly responsible for bringing in the Seeker. The police wanted to use him for more undercover work so they had to keep his face out of the media.

Now that the undercover work was over Tony decided to head home. He was tired and mentally exhausted. He hoped Lisa was still up. When he entered the apartment he was surprised to see Lisa sitting in the living room in a compromising position with her ex. She jumped up when she saw him. He looked at her for a second and then turned around and headed toward the door.

She grabbed his arm and to stop him, "Tony…please…let me explain."

Tony stopped and looked at her, "You don't have to explain anything. I am leaving. I will come by tomorrow and get the rest of my things."

"Tony…please listen to me."

Tony didn't move.

"Tony…I was lonely without you being here. Both Danny and I missed you so much. One day when I dropped Danny off at Mike's place, he invited me to go to the zoo with them. I didn't have anything to do so I decided to go with them. We had such a great time. Tony…I had no idea if you were ever going to come back. Mike and I started seeing each other again. I am so sorry Tony but I fell back in love with him. Danny is so happy we are together again."

Tony took a deep breath and then released it. He wanted to be angry with her but he couldn't be. He understood how she must feel. He knew going into this relationship with her it could happen. He smiled, "Lisa…I hope everything works out for you. Do me a favor and tell Danny I stopped by and said hi. Maybe I can see him when I come to pick up the rest of my stuff in the morning."

"Tony…please before you leave let me make a check out to pay you back for those months you weren't here."

"No…just keep it."

_**Next Chapter will be about Tony's time in Philadelphia…**_


	16. Chapter 16

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_As always thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review my story. I really do appreciate it. _

_This is to the reviewers who like to point out what year Tony was born in…I just wanted to remind you that I did mentioned in Chapter 11 that I will be using Michael Weatherly's birth date as Tony's birth date for this story. I find it easier to remember it that way._

_Here is the next chapter. I am thinking I may have 2 more chapters to go before this story finally comes to an end. I will be bringing Ducky back at the end. You will also be finding out more about Ducky's friend Cailean. Lastly before this story is over Gibbs will know everything he can possibly know about is SFA._

_This chapter will be on the lighter side. I hope you like?_

**CHAPTER 16**

_**Philadelphia…**_

_Gibbs found himself sitting inside a Dave and Buster's and wondering why he was even there? What was he going to learn here?_

Earlier this evening Tony was sitting in the living room watching an old western movie when he heard a knock on the door. He got up and looked out the peephole in the door and didn't see anyone. So, he thought it was just his imagination and headed back into the living room. As he was getting ready to sit back down he heard the knock again. This time, he knew it had to be those pesky little brats who live upstairs. He was angry and opened up the door to catch them in the act.

Tony nearly had a heart attack when he heard, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" He couldn't help but give his hundred-watt smile when he saw his best friends and their wives standing in the hallway. They had come to Philadelphia for the weekend to celebrate his birthday with him.

Today was Tony 30th birthday and he thought he was going to be spending it alone. A few weeks ago Steve and Matt had called him to let him know that this year they were taking their wives to Europe and would not be able to be there for his birthday. It had been a tradition ever since they graduated from boarding school that no matter where they were they would always meet some place and celebrate their birthdays together. When they had called Tony was disappointed but did not let on when they told him. He knew it was kind of childish and selfish of him to think that way. After all they were now adults and there were more important things going on in their lives then having to come and celebrate his 30th birthday with him. It was time for him grow up and accept the fact that his friends were getting on with their lives and he needed to do the same thing.

For about an hour, the friends sat around the kitchen table talking about old times. Tony finally got up went to take a shower and change his clothes. His friends were taking him to Dave & Buster to celebrate his birthday because it was one of their favorite places to go when they were together. They enjoyed the food, games and the atmosphere. Once they were there they decided to order their drinks. They wanted to play some games before they ate. Once the drinks arrived, the three friends decided to take their drinks and go play some billiards. The wives decided to stay at the table and give the friends some time to be together.

Tony kept grinning as he picked up a cue stick. He couldn't get over the fact that his two best friends had come to spend sometime with him on his birthday.

Matt grinned as he asked, "Tony way in the hell do you have that stupid grin on your face?"

"I still can't believe you two came. I thought you and your wives were going to Europe?"

"We just told you that so we could surprise you. So…surprise?"

Tony laughed, "How are you guys doing these days?"

Matt spoke first, "Katy and I will be moving to Boston in a few weeks. I got a job working at the Boston Children's Hospital as an otolaryngologist's specialist."

Steve jumped in, "Right now, my dad is trying to talk me into joining his firm but I am not sure if I want to. Tony…how is it going with you these days?"

Tony grinned, "Would you believe I just got promoted a month ago? You are now looking at Detective Anthony D. DiNozzo Jr."

The three friends raised their glasses and congratulated each other.

Tony won the first game. They were just starting on the second game when Steve remembered something. "Tony…I saw your dad in New York last week."

"Did you get a chance to speak with him?"

"Just for a few minutes."

"What did he have to say?"

"Well, your dad told me he just got married again. He and his new wife…I think he said her name is Karen...are going to the Bahamas this week for their honeymoon."

Tony was looking down at his drink as be began stirring it, "Did…did my dad asked about me?"

Steve looked at Matt and then back at Tony, "Tony…why don't you call your dad and talk to him?"

Tony looked at his two friends, "Look…I don't want to talk about him anymore. Let's change the subject…please."

Matt grinned as looked at his wife, "Well…Tony there is something I have been dying to tell you. You are going to be an uncle."

Tony looked at his friend for a few seconds before he if finally register. He grinned, "No fooling…your going to be a dad? Congratulations! When's the baby due?"

"It's going to be sometime around Christmas. I couldn't decide which one of you two I wanted to be my baby's godfather so Katy and I have decided we want both of you to be our child's godfather'. We figured if we put both of you two together the baby just might have a normal godfather.

Both Tony and Steve grinned and they high-fived each other.

The rest of the evening was the best fun Tony had had in a long time. He hated to see it end because he knew tomorrow his friends were heading home…

_Gibbs grinned he was so glad DiNozzo had these two constant friends in his life. He hopes if he ever gets back to his normal life and he manages to straighten out the mess he made with Tony and himself, just maybe Tony would introduce him to them..._

Monday morning, both Detective DiNozzo and his partner Jerry White were called into the captain's office. It seems some of their fellow detectives had complained that their antics at the morning meetings were very distracting and immature. Both Tony and Jerry tried to keep a straight face as their captain talked but they both knew the man wasn't really going to do anything to them. They knew they were his best detectives and had the highest rate in the department for solving crimes. When the captain was finally finished lecturing them, he handed them both their new assignment. In a little while, Tony and Jerry would be meeting with two detectives from Baltimore for the debriefing.

At the debriefing they found out the Baltimore detectives were looking for a man who had almost beat his girlfriend to death. The woman was now in a coma and on life support. Her relatives only knew the man by the name of Larry. They believe he was from Philly because he was always wearing this jersey with the words 'Property of West Philadelphia' on it. There were no pictures of him but the Baltimore police did have their sketch artist drew a picture of him.

Both Tony and Jerry spent almost a week tracking the man down. It wasn't long before they had him in custody. Captain Raimey of the Baltimore police department was very impressed with the two detectives. He told them both if they every wanted a job in Baltimore to look him up.

Three months later, Tony got into a little hot water when he started unknowingly dating the assistant's mayor wife. Once Tony found out who she was he decided it was time for him to move on before he gets into trouble. He called Raimey and got the job in Baltimore.

_Gibbs grinned as he whispered to himself, "So Tony…this was your extenuating circumstances as to why you were only in Philadelphia for eighteen months. If Caitlin were alive she would have called you a pig and would have had a good laugh at the same time..._


	17. Chapter 17

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_Thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review my story. I really do appreciate it. _

_I just have one more chapter to go after this one. I am hoping to have it posted tomorrow or Sunday. I promise you Ducky will be back with a few surprises._

**CHAPTER 17**

_**Detective Danny Price - Baltimore P.D.**_

Tony smiled as he handed the girl his credit card. He looked into the bags to make sure he had everything he ordered. A few seconds later he signed the receipt, grabbed his card and the bags and headed toward the door. The moment he walked outside he noticed his new partner talking with someone he had not seen before. As he walked toward them the man took one look at him and then took off walking very fast.

Tony couldn't help but ask, "Danny, who's your friend? Why did he take off so quickly like that?"

Danny looked a little nervous as he looked in the direction the man had gone. "He's just an informant I worked with before. I was trying to see if he might know anything about the man we are looking for. It just turned out to be a dead end." Danny turned his attention back to Tony, "Did you get me the extra ketchup like I asked?"

Tony reached into his shirt pocket and tossed him several packets. "By the way…you own me four dollars and twenty-nine cents."

Danny grabbed his bag and looked inside it; "Huh Tony…I'm running a little short on cash this week. Do you mind if I pay you next week when I get paid? You know I am good for it."

Tony shook his head and grinned as the two men entered the car. Tony drove to the place where they were going to be doing the surveillance work. The place was a marina on the waterfront. Their informant had told them the man they were looking for practically lived on one of the boats at the marina but he wasn't sure which one.

Tony parked the car next to a wooden fence so they wouldn't be noticed so easily. Danny opened his bag and took one of the hotdogs and some fries out. Tony reached between the seats and pulled out a pair of binoculars. He used them to look at the marina. "Danny, I hope we find this guy soon. I don't want to be here all night. I am supposed to be meeting up with Wendy a little later."

"Isn't she the same woman who was your high school music teacher?"

"Yes."

"Isn't she a little older than you?"

"Just a little."

Danny smiled as he took another bite off his hotdog, "Tony…rumor has it around the squad that you came from money."

Tony put the binoculars down and opened his bag to get him something to eat. "Yah…I did…what about it?"

"Tony…don't get your panties in a wad. I was just trying to have a conversation with you and that's all. Besides…I used to live in one of those big fancy six bedrooms and four bathroom mansions in San Francisco. My dad has a boat just like that one over there in a marina in the San Francisco Bay. I could see the bridge from there."

Tony asked with food in his mouth, "What happened?"

Danny stopped eating and stared out the window, "My mom was killed in a car crash when I was ten. My dad…was hardly ever around…so after my mom died he sent me to boarding schools and summer camps. Once I was finished with school he told me his responsibility to me was over and he kicked me out of the house. What about you?"

"It was pretty much the same with me except my dad didn't kick me out. Like you my dad was never around. After I graduated from college we just went out separate ways. I…"

It was at that moment; Tony spotted the man they were looking for walking away from the marina. Tony dropped his food back into the bag and opened the car door and took off running. Danny was only a few behind him…

_Gibbs couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for Price because of his childhood. When Gibbs had Pacci do a background check on Tony, he also had him do one on Price. It wasn't because he wanted to hire Price but because his gut was warning him not to trust the man. From the background check Gibbs found out that Price had barely made it through college. He had worked in several different police departments before he finally landed the detective job in Baltimore. _

_Gibbs knew an ex-marine buddy who worked at the Baltimore Police department around the same time he met DiNozzo and Price. He decided to call his friend and asked him about both DiNozzo and Price. He friend told him DiNozzo was an exceptional cop but Price was a piece of cake. He told Gibbs the only reason Detective Danny Price got promoted was because he was lucky and put with good partners._

_It bothered Gibbs knowing that Tony was with him…_

_**Who's peeking out from under a stairway?**_

Tony had been sitting in a bar for almost two hours. He was on his sixth or was it his seventh drink? He had lost count about a couple of drinks back. His goal tonight was to get drunk and try to forget about tomorrow. When he went to take another sip of his drink he realized the glass was empty again. He signaled the bartender to bring him another one. When his drink finally arrived, Tony was so focused on it that he didn't notice the two men who had just entered the bar. They were standing there for a few seconds until one of them spotted him. Both men walked over and sat down on each side of him.

Matt spoke first, "Tony…Wendy told us you would be here."

Tony looked at his two friends and then back at his drink, "You…you talked with Wendy?"

"Yah…she told us what happened. Tony…we are so sorry it didn't work out between you two."

Tony looked at both his friends and asked, "Can one of you guys tell me w…what I did wrong? I…I just don't under…stand. I thought she loved me…me? I gave her my h…heart and she goes and rips it out of my chest. I just don't understand what I did wrong?"

"Listen Tony…I don't think you did anything wrong. I think…she just got cold feet at the last minute and decided to back out of the wedding. Look Tony…why don't you let us take you home before you get too drunk to walk? You are a little too big for Matt and me to carry you."

Tony giggled to himself as he was trying to picture his two friends carrying him. He finally says, "I…I can walk on my…my own. I want to stay here with my two bessstttt friend." Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Let…me buy you bought a…a drink. No…that is not right…let me buy both a drink each."

Matt shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Steve. They knew their friend was hurting and it wasn't going to be easy to get him to leave just yet. "Okay Tony…you can buy us a drink."

Tony signaled the bartender to bring a round of drinks for him and his friends. When the drinks arrived, the three friends moved to one of the booths for some privacy. As soon as they sat down Steve asked one of the waitresses to bring him a menu. He decided to order a sample platter of appetizers. He knew Tony probably hadn't eaten for a while and he was hoping to get some food into his very intoxicated friend.

Tony just sat for a little while stirring his drink. Finally he asked, "Why…why don't anybody ever love me...me? Guys…am I that bad of a person?"

"Tony…don't you dare think that way. This is not your fault. Wendy was the one who backed out of the wedding, not you."

Tony shook his head, "I am not just talking about Wendy. My dad never wanted me. He always sent me to stay…stay with relative, boarding schools or sum…summer camps. I tried to be with other women bbbut they either cheated on me or left me for some…someone else. Why can't I find someone who wants to be with me? I…I am tired of being alone. I want to have a family like you two guys do."

For the next hour Steve and Matt ate, drank and listened to their hurting friend talk about his sorrows. They were finally relieved when they were able to convince Tony it was time to go home. Tony was pretty intoxicated and had to be helped to his feet or he would have fallen flat on his face. As they started walking toward the door Tony told his two friends about a surprise he had planned for Wendy at the reception and asked his two friends if they wanted to hear it. They made the big mistake of telling him they wanted to hear it.

So a very drunk Tony started singing. "_Who's peeking out from under a stairway? Calling…calling a name that's lighter than hair…air. Who's bending down to give me a rain…rainbow? Everybody knows its Windy._ Did…did you know they spelled Windy's name different from my Wen…Wendy in the song? I…I…I don't think my Wendy would have mind…do you?"

Both Matt and Steve looked at each other and couldn't help but grin as Tony started singing again.

"_Who's tripping down the streets of the city? Smilin...smiling at everybody she sees. Who's reaching out to capture a moment? Everyone knows its Windy. And Wendy has stormy eyes…"_

Tony looked at his two friends and asked, "Do you know Wendy has the prettiest eyes?"

"Yes…Tony we know."

It was a good thing Tony's apartment was just down the street from the bar because Tony decided to keep on singing all the way home. Everyone they passed on the street was just grinning as the three men passed them. Once they were in the apartment, the two friends helped Tony get undressed and into bed. They called their wives at the hotel and told them they were staying with Tony tonight just incase he needed them.

_Gibbs had met Wendy shortly after Tony had joined NCIS. Gibbs had been invited to the wedding. He remembered Tony calling him the day of the wedding to let him know the wedding was off. Tony had giving him some lame excuse that Wendy just didn't want to move to DC. At the time, Gibbs was finalizing his divorce and enjoying his freedom again. He told Tony it was probably for the best that he found it out now than later. Divorce can be hell._

_Gibbs was lost in thought when he felt his body being pulled away like the time he was at the beach. When he stopped moving he found himself in some kind of void. Cailean appeared in front of him. "It is time to go…" was all he said._

_Gibbs started to feel like he being pulled again at a much faster pace. Things seemed to by flying by him. It was like he could hear only bits and pieces of things he saw._

_**NCIS…**_

_**(Baltimore) - May 2001…**_

"_I don't know what I'm going to do. Maybe being a cop isn't for me."_

"_Huh? Did you just physically assault me?"_

"_I don't have a lot of rules. But rule number five is you don't waste good. You're good."_

"_Thanks…don't make a habit of that."_

_**(Missing) - May 2004…**_

"_Tony, as far as I'm concerned, you're irreplaceable."_

"_I knew it...I knew behind the whole Marine thing you really are...at heart."_

"_Forget about it, McGee. He's still alive."_

_**(SWAK) - May 2005…**_

"_You will not die."_

"_You…Will…Not…Die."_

"_Gotcha, Boss…."_

_**(Requiem) - November 2007…**_

"_Don't do this to me, Boss! Come on! Don't do this to me! Don't make me kiss you, Boss!"_

"_COME ON BOSS! COME ON! Oh, Boss! Come on!"_

_**(Flesh and Blood) - January 2010…**_

"_What's on your mind?"_

"_Your son."_

"_What has, uh... Junior done now?"_

'_Tony likes to hide behind the face of a clown. But he's the best young agent I've ever worked with."_

_**(To Walk In My Shoes) - December - 2012…**_

_"Jethro…you knew Anthony was like this from the beginning. It's part of his charm. You told me when you first hired him that he was a good cop with a lot of potentials. You believe he had the makings to be a good agent. It is the reason you hired him."_

_"Yes…I know and I am now regretting it. Maybe…I should have left him back in Baltimore because all he is good for is chasing down crooks and arresting them."_

_"Jethro, I can still remember right after you hired him you bragged to me how you stole him from the Baltimore Police Department."_

_"Yah I did but now I am regretting every minute of it. I think it is time I get him off my team before he messes up something else."_

_When it finally stopped Gibbs found himself sitting in a cemetery wondering why he was there…_


	18. Chapter 18

**To Walk In My Shoes**

Glow60

_Thank you for your follows, favorites and especially to the ones who have taken the time to review my story. I really do appreciate it. I want to specially thank all the readers who took the time to review my story. Meilea2010, NCIS fan, finlaure, DS2010, angelscatie, Nash Carter, newgal, gotgoats, barbaratakuyaho, moira4eku, cajunghost, Madances, Kagome Avalon, Scat210, Midlo, shoppingnull, Gloworm41, Downey for President, faldo, Wolfa Moon, karlii, camcampgirl, Megth, victoriantealady, anaknisatanas, intimidating, Debbie A, princessesmeralda, prince-bishop, Kristafied, shadocat, lindycat, patncisfan, Ladyaloysius, tansysam, wytygr, charli911, maryhell & guests. I hope I did not forget anyone?_

_PLEASE NOTE: The idea for this story popped into my head in June. I originally planned to make this a Christmas story for this year and that is why I wanted to use 2013. When I was almost finished with this chaptered I realized that Cote de Pablo announced she was leaving the show so Ziva will not be working for NCIS in December of this year. I did have her in the first chapter working at NCIS at Christmas of this year. So, the easiest fix would be to change the year to 2012. I have already gone back to the last chapter and changed the year to 2012 instead of 2013. Sorry for any confusion this might cause._

_In this last chapter you will finally see why I said this story is sort of a little twist to "It's a Wonderful Life". I didn't think about it until a later that it could also apply to "A Christmas Carol." I hope you enjoy? _

**CHAPTER 18**

_**December 24, 2012 –Baltimore…**_

Gibbs found himself sitting in the middle of what looked like a very old and unkempt cemetery. There was no wind as the snow softly fell to the ground. He looked around and didn't see anyone. He was now angry and frustrated. He thought he was going home. He yelled out, "WHY AM I HERE? I WANT TO GO HOME."

He heard Cailean whisper, "Not just yet…Jethro…you have a couple of more things to see before you return home."

Gibbs sat there trying to figure out what to do next when he heard someone yelling at him, "Hey mister…you shouldn't be doing that."

Gibbs turned his head to see a man walking toward him, "Shouldn't be doing what?"

"You shouldn't be sitting on that headstone it's very old and you could damage it. Plus it's being disrespectful to the dead."

Gibbs looked down and realized he was indeed sitting on headstone. He immediately stood up, "Sorry...I didn't realize what I was doing."

"Sir…are you okay? Do you need help? Can I call someone for you?"

It was at that moment Gibbs saw the shimmering Cailean standing in the distance. For some reason he knew he needed to head in that direction, "No…I am fine. Thank you for your offer anyway."

Gibbs headed toward the Cailean. When he got within a few feet of the apparition it disappeared before his eyes. Gibbs stopped and looked around until he saw Cailean again. He was almost within twenty feet from it this time when it disappeared again. Gibbs was starting to get really pissed off. He had no intention of playing hide and seek with this thing. He looked around one more time but did not see him. Instead he saw a man standing by a grave. The man started walking back and forth raising his hands like he was holding a conversation with someone. Gibbs moved a little closer so he could hear what the man was saying.

"Junior…I know I wasn't the best father in the world but why did you have to mess my life up so bad?"

When Gibbs was just a few feet from the man he stopped dead in his tracks because he recognized the man's voice. Gibbs looked at the headstone and was shocked to see the name "Anthony D. DiNozzo (1968-2002). "No…"

Senior turned and looked at him. "Sorry…I didn't realize someone else was here."

Gibbs ignored Senior and asked, "What happened to your son?"

"You knew my son?"

"Yes…I knew Tony. My name is Gibbs. I worked for NCIS. I worked with your son on a couple of joint investigations. How did this happen?"

Senior looked at Gibbs a little suspiciously, "I am surprised you don't know being a federal agent and all. It was all over the news."

"I was out of the country at the time."

Senior looked back at the grave, "They said my son was a crooked cop. His partner Danny Price caught him in some kind of laundering scam and he had to shoot my son or be shot himself."

"No…that is not right…your son was a good cop. It was his partner who was crooked."

"How do you know?"

"My gut, tells me he is innocent."

Senior grinned a little as he joked, "I am afraid your gut would not hold up in any court of law."

Gibbs didn't smile, "Your son liked to hide behind the face of a clown but he was the best young cop I have ever had the honor to work with. I know he was a honest cop and I know he would never have commented those crimes."

Gibbs could see the undeserved pride in the old man's eyes. "Thank you for the nice words but when Junior was killed it was all over the news that he was a crooked cop. I lost a lot of friends and business because of him. I could no longer live the life style I was a accustomed to."

Gibbs couldn't believe what he was hearing, "You BASTARD…you think more of your DAMN reputation than the fact your son was murdered and charged with a crime he didn't commit? You never deserved him as a son. You…"

Senior vanished as Cailean appeared in his place.

"I give you what you wanted? You said you regretted you ever hired him. So, I changed it so you never hired him?"

"NO…I did not want this. I didn't mean it."

Cailean pointed to the grave, "Because you didn't offer Anthony a job at NCIS, he decided to stay in Baltimore and try to help his partner Danny Price get out of the mess he was in but Danny was in too deep. He did not want to go to jail so he killed Anthony to cover up what he did. Once Anthony was dead he blamed everything on him."

"I never wanted this to happen. I only said what I did was because I was angry with my dad about something. SecNav and the director were on my back about a case and then DiNozzo goes and makes that mistake and tries to deny it. I was under a lot of pressure I didn't mean to say the things I did. I am sorry."

"Jethro there is one more thing you must see…come with me."

Gibbs was taken to another cemetery. This cemetery he was very familiar with because this is where Shannon and Kelly are buried. "Why am I here?"

Cailean pointed at the grave next to Shannon's, "Look…"

Gibbs walked toward it. He took a deep breath as he read the name, "Leroy Jethro Gibbs (1951-2007)."

Gibbs turned to the apparition, "What happened?"

"Anthony was not there to pull you or Maddie Tyler from the river. You both drowned that day."

Gibbs looked at Cailean, "Look I know I messed up big time. I was angry; I had a lot on my mind and I should not have taken it out on DiNozzo and I am sorry for it. How do I go home so I can fix this mess?"

"Jethro…it is so good to hear you finally admit you messed up." Gibbs nearly jumped when he saw Ducky standing next to Cailean.

"Ducky…you were behind this all the time?"

Ducky grinned as he nodded. "Jethro you would not listen to anything I had to say and because of your stubbornness you had to learn the lesson the hard way."

Gibbs glanced at the shimmering being and then back to Ducky, "How in the world did you ever meet up with this guy?"

"It was actually my mother who found Cailean and his siblings."

"Siblings?"

Ducky chuckled, "Yes…when my mother was just a wee lassie she spent all her summer holidays visiting her maternal grandparents who lived in Wales. One summer I think it was just two days before she had to go back home or maybe it was three days?"

"DUCKY!"

"Oh…right…anyway my mother decided to go for a long walk. Her grandparents had warned her to stay away from this ancient graveyard on the south part of their land. They told her they had seen unexplained things happen there and it was not a safe place to be. My mother being the curious little girl she was decided to go there anyway. She told me as she walked through the graveyard she could hear what sounded like young puppies crying. She headed toward the sound. She found a basket with four of the tiniest little Corgi dogs she had ever seen in her life. She said you could put all four of them in the palm of your hand. My dear mother later found out her little friends were actually hybrids of an elf and shapeshifter. She wanted to keep them the moment she saw them. She carried them back to her grandparents' house and managed to hide them until she returned to Scotland. A couple of days later her parents found out about them. She begged them to let her keep them. They told her she could as long as she took care of them."

"Ducky…please don't tell me they are the same ones I saw are your house?"

Ducky laughed, "They are indeed…my friend."

"If they have all these abilities, why didn't they help you when that crazy Hanlan family took you?"

"I told them to stay and protect mother and you would take care of me."

"Your faith in me almost cost you your life."

"I knew you would save me. Everything turned out alright at the end."

Gibbs looked at the apparition. "Ducky…why all this? If you wanted to convince me about anything all you had to do was show me your friend here. I would have believe anything after that."

"Jethro…you are one of my dearest friends. I tired sometimes of your attitude. I do believe this time you went too far and I felt it was time for you to learn a lesson."

Gibbs grinned a little. "I have to admit Ducky…this was one hell of a lesson. Was it all true?"

"Yes…my friend Cailean has the ability to travel through time and space. And…before you asked he cannot change the past but he only observe it."

"But didn't Cailean change it when he interrupted the rape?"

"No…he only just gave you the illusion of the rape. We did not think it was necessary for you to see all the details of what happen to our poor Anthony."

"Ducky…what happened at the lake? What stopped Tony from jumping in?"

"Jethro…I hate saying this but our Anthony did jump. It was his friend Jake who finally woke up and realized that Anthony was missing. He went to look for him. He saw a boat out on the lake and went to investigate. He saw Anthony jump into the water. He dove in and pulled him out. He brought him back to the infirmary. If it hadn't been for Jake that day we would never gotten to know Anthony."

"Ducky, I promise you I will apologize to DiNozzo when I see him. I will do every thing I can to make it right."

"My friend…you have done this to him too many times. It is amazing to me he continues to stay with you and have your back."

"I don't really understood why he does either or in fact why anyone of you stays with me. I know I can be the biggest bastard sometimes."

"I believe Anthony stays with you because you are someone he looks up to and can trust. You are someone no matter how mad you get at him he knows he can always trust you to have his back. There are not many in this world he trust."

"Ducky can I go home now?"

The older man smiled, "Yes…you can go home but I have two things to tell you. First...talk to your father because he has something very important to tell you."

"Is he okay?"

"Jethro it's best he tells you. Your father had a good reason why he didn't want to come. And the second thing I want to tell you is that Anthony did not make the mistake on the tests. You and the director had put so much pressure on poor Abigail to get those tests done that she had accidentally transposed two of the numbers. She gave Anthony the wrong information and cause the test to be wrong. Now…don't you go chewing her out about it because the blame is solely on both Leon and you."

_**Early Christmas Morning…**_

Gibbs didn't wake up until the light from the morning sun started to bother his eyes. He looked at the old alarm clock. The small hand was already on the eight. He swore to himself when he realized that he had overslept. He needed to get that damn turkey stuffed and into the oven now or it wouldn't be ready for the Christmas dinner this afternoon.

Just before he entered the kitchen he stopped in his tracks. He remembered, he looked at the reflection of himself in the window and he grinned when he saw he was still himself. He had so many things to do. He wanted to get the turkey started before he calls his dad. As he headed into the kitchen he was surprised to see his dad sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee.

"Leroy…I already put the bird in the oven and I got a fresh pot of coffee on."

"Dad…I am surprised you are here. I thought you weren't coming?"

"Sorry son…I really wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it or not. I didn't mean for us to get in an argument like we did."

"Dad, are you…okay?"

"Leroy…go get you some coffee and sit down and then we'll talk." Gibbs did as his father told him. He got his coffee and sat down next to his father.

"Son…a couple of weeks back I went for my yearly physical. My doctor saw something in the blood work that he didn't like so he had me go for some more blood work. I was worried and didn't want to tell you anything until the tests come back. Son…I am so sorry we got into that heated argument."

"Dad…what did the doctor say?"

"The second blood work came back okay. The doctor thinks there may have been some kind of mix up at the lab. He is checking into it to find out what happened."

Gibbs looked relieved as he reached over and hugged his dad, "I am so glad you are okay. I am so glad your are here Dad."

Gibb and his dad sat and talked for a long while. He finally realized it was almost noon and it wouldn't be much longer before everyone started showing up. He asked his father if it was okay for him to leave for a while. There was someone he had to see and apologize to. His father told him to go ahead he would be fine.

_**Rule #51: Sometimes — You're Wrong!**_

Tony was sitting in the living room watching an old Christmas movie when he heard the doorbell ring. He got up and peeked out and was surprised to see Gibbs standing on the other side. He opened the door. Tony thought Gibbs was there because they had an assignment, "Boss…let me go get my coat. It won't take me long to get ready."

"Tony…there is no assignment. Can I come in? I want to talk with you for a minute."

Tony stepped aside to let the older man in. Tony could tell Gibbs looked a little indecisive at the moment and he was worried it was bad news. "Boss?"

"Tony…I came to apologize to you. I should have never said the things I said to you."

"It's okay Boss.''

"NO…it is not okay. You did not make the mistake on the test, Abby did. She accidently transposed two numbers."

"Boss…your not going to take it out on Abby are you. If you do I would rather take the blame for it myself."

Gibbs grinned at his SFA and head slapped him. "DiNozzo will you just shut up and let me apologize. No…I am not going to take it out on Abby. A good friend of mine pointed it out that it was my fault for the whole thing. I came here to tell you how wrong I was to blame you and hope you could forgive me."

Tony smiled, "Of course I can Boss."

"DiNozzo…I have one other thing to ask."

"What's that Boss?"

"How would you like to come and spend Christmas with me?"

"Boss, I don't know because it's kind of like at the last minute? Don't you think?"

"DiNozzo don't make me head slap you again."

_**New Years Eve Party - Tony's Bucket list # 24: Let friends get closer.**_

Tony was all excited about his upcoming New Years Eve party. He had been planning it since he knew he found his old friends were coming to spend the New Years with him. Everyone on the team had already accepted his invitation but Gibbs. The ex-marine just wanted to spend a quiet time in his basement working on his latest project.

It was just two days after Christmas, Gibbs was sitting in the bullpen when he overhead Abby talking to Ziva and McGee about Tony's New Years party. She told them that she accidently overheard Tony talking to someone on his Iphone. He told whomever it was that they were going to get to meet his coworkers. The three of them joked around about all the good stuff they were going to find out about their friend. Gibbs decided to hunt his SFA down and let him know that he changed his mind and was coming to the party.

On New Years Ever Gibbs walked into Tony's apartment, he was a little disappointed when only saw Abby, Ziva, Palmer, Breena, Ducky and couple of people he had never seen before. He looked over at Ducky and the older man winked and smiled at him. He smiled back. A few seconds later Abby grabbed him by the arm; "GGiiibbs come on let me introduce to everybody?"

Gibbs could already tell that Abby had a few drinks in her, "Where's Tony and McGee?"

"They are with Tony's his old school friend. They went…went to get some more stuff for the party just in…case. Have you met them yet?"

"Abby…I just got here."

"Right…wait till you get to meet them Gibbs."

"Meet who?"

"Tony's old school friends Steve and Matt. The three are so cute together. It like you are watching the three musketeers and the three stooges all rolled up in one. You would never…never…never guess they are Tony's best friends. Steve is the same height as Tony but very bald. He also had a few Twinkies under his belt if you know what I mean. As for Matt he…is a bigger nerd than McGee. Wait, that doesn't sound very nice of me to say all those things about them. Gibbs you don't think they will be mad at me or hate me, do you? Gosh I really didn't mean it to sound that way. I only meant it in a nice way."

"Abbs…I sure it's okay."

"Do you want a drink? Come let me get you a drink and in…introduce you to Tony's friend's wives. They…they are in the kitchen."

A few minutes later Tony, McGee, Steve and Matt returned. Each of them were carrying a couple of bags.

Abby smiled as she tried to looked inside all the bags, "Tony…I really don't think we need all that stuff unless we are getting ready to have some kind of snowstorm and we get trapped here in your apartment."

Tony grinned as he sat his bags down, "I told McGee it was too much but he didn't want to listen me."

McGee started to defend himself, "That's now true. Tony…Tony was the one who wanted to buy all this stuff."

"You put it in the cart."

"You told me to."

Gibbs looked at both Steve and Matt; Tony's two old friends had a silly grin on their face as they watch the playful banter between the two friends.

Gibbs finally made a grunting noise to get Tony attention. Tony looked at him and then his friends, "Boss…I would like you to meet my friends Steve and Matt. I went to boarding school with them" Gibbs reached over to shake their hands, "It's nice to meet you both."

"Tony has told us a lot of nice things about you."

Gibbs grinned because he could only imagine what his SFA had told his two friends, "I am pretty sure he has said some bad things about me too?"

Tony shook his head as he smiled, "No…Boss…I would never do that…Boss."

When is was time to welcome the New Year in everyone stood around the TV set and watch as the ball dropped in Time Square. Everyone started yelling and wishing each other a Happy New Years. Gibbs was surprised when both Steve and Matt pulled him into the kitchen for a private talk.

The ex-marine could tell the two men were really feeling their drinks. It was Steve who spoke, "G…Gibbs…Tony is our bestest friend. He told us how mean you are to him some…sometimes. We just want you to know if you ever hurt Tony you will have to answer to us."

Matt throw his two cents in, "Yah, you…don't want to mess with us. We are not afraid of you. Do…do we make ourselves clear?"

Gibbs just stood there and grinned. He watches as the two men headed back into the other room where the party was still going on. He saw Tony walked over and hugged his friends. Gibbs grinned when he realized that Steve and Matt had had Tony's back long before Tony had his…


End file.
